Broken Bones
by Copperpelt
Summary: When the Brawlers spend a week in a town in Russia called Khimiki, Shun and Fabia have a fight. But when Shun runs off and gets lost in the forest, who finds him and mends the wounds? Based off the song by Rev Theory. I kinda stink at summaries. READ PLZ
1. I Think I'm lost

_Broken Bones_

_Shun_

I swung open the door of the cabin and stormed off into the cold, snowy night. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. _I don't have to take her crap. _As I walked past the snow covered pines I thought back to the fight Fabia and I had only a few hours ago. I felt my rage burn up again in my chest and I swung a fist and hit one of the large pines, knocking the snow off the needles. I kept my fist on the tree and was leaned over panting. As I breathed out I saw my breathe coming out in large smoky looking clouds, and only then did I realize how cold it was. When I stormed out of the cabin, I never grabbed any jacket or extra clothing to keep me warm, not even my shoes. I looked down at what I was wearing in the freezing night. I was in some tattered jeans, and a white short sleeve shirt with only my socks on my feet. When I looked down I also noticed how badly I was shaking. _I should go back to the cabin. _With my arms wrapped around my quivering body, I looked around to find the direction I had come from. _Which way was the cabin? _I searched the snow for my footprints, but the snow had covered my tracks. _Oh crap. I'm lost in these damn forest. _I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, hoping the others may be outside looking for me, and hopefully, hear my cries for help. "Hello! Can anyone hear me!" Nobody answered. I tried a few more times, but the only thing answering back was the echo of my voice. I leaned against a pine tree and tried to make my slowly freezing body stop shaking. _I'm not just going to stand here and freeze to death. The least I could do is try and find some help. _I pushed myself from the tree and wavered on my feet before getting my balance. My legs and feet felt as if they had ten pound weight tied to them as I trudged through the snow. _I'm so tired….But I cant fall asleep….I've got to find help. _I looked forward and saw what appeared to be lights through my blurred vision. I began fighting my way through the snow faster and saw a familiar looking house. _It might be the cabin! _I made my way to the door and began knocking and calling for help. Then my vision began to darken and I felt my ice cold body hit what felt like concrete. Before I blacked out completely, the door opened and I saw a dark figure standing in the light. Before I blacked out I heard the figure say, "Shun! Oh my gosh! Grandfather! Come quick!" _…..Al-Alice?…._My vision disappeared into blackness.


	2. Waking Up

_Shun_

I could of sworn I heard Alice's voice before I blacked out. I had yet to come out of unconsciousness, and all my eyes could detect was darkness. My hand slid down my side and I felt what seemed to be bed sheets. _Where am I? And what happened to me? _I strained to open my eyes, and when they finally did open, I was in a bedroom. My head turned to my left and right as I observed my new surroundings. As I was looking around, a red haired girl walked in the door. I felt my eyes widen and all I could get out was, "Alice." My voice was filled with a little too much amazement. "Shun, you're up. Thank heavens. My grandfather and I were worried sick about you." I looked at her hand, which were holding a tray with a steaming hot bowl of soup, and what appeared to be a hot cup of either tea or hot chocolate. Alice moved a lamp on a nightstand next to my bed, and set the tray down. "Looks like I timed you waking up just right." She smiled as she leaned away from the tray. "Alice, how long was I out?" She stopped smiling and looked at me and said, "You were asleep for two days. We were going to rush you to the hospital today if you didn't wake up." _Did she say TWO days? _"What…Exactly happened to me?" She sat down in a chair placed in the corner of the room. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened to you, but my grandfather and I were just about to go to sleep when we heard you knocking on the door calling for help. When I opened the door, you were on the concrete passed out, and nearly frozen to death." _Nearly frozen to death? _"I was in pretty bad shape, wasn't I?" Alice nodded her head in agreement. "Here, you should eat and get your strength back up. Do you mind telling me why you're hear in Moscow?" I stopped a spoonful of soup near my lips and said, "I'm in Moscow? Not Khimiki?" Alice looked confused and said, "No, but Khimiki is near Moscow. Why were you there?" I put my spoon back in my now half empty bowl of soup, and set the bowl back on the tray. I took in a deep breath and said, "Well…..It all started when….."

_*Flashback*_

_It was two weeks ago when Murucho's number showed up on my cell phone. I answered the call and said, "Hey Murucho. What ya need?" "Hey Shun. My parents had just bought a log cabin in this Russian town called Khimiki, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with us." "Us? Who else is going?" "Dan, Rafe, Paige, Jake, Runo, Julie, and Fabia." I stopped and stared off in the distance. "Fabia's gunna be there?" "Yeah. Is that a problem?" "Uh, no. It's just I haven't seen her in a while and I was making sure." Since the war between Gundalia and Nethia had ended, Fabia and I had dated here and there. But with the rebuilding of the city, she had to go back on random times, and sometimes we never saw each other anywhere from a few days to months. The last time I had seen her was almost a month ago. "So, are you coming or not? Because I need to know if we need to put blankets in eight or seven rooms." "Yeah, sure. I'll go." "That's great! We'll pick you up in my jet in two days. Bye!" I clicked the call end button and began packing my suitcase._

_*End Flashback*_

"So, Murucho and the others are still in Khimiki?" "Yep. At least, they should be unless they're in some other town searching for my frozen body." Alice had sat there and listened to every word I said as I explained why I was even in Russia from the start. During our conversation, the leftover soup in my bowl had gone cold and looked inedible. Alice noticed the soup as well and stood up. As she got off the foot of my bed, she asked, "You never said why you were wandering around in the forest at night." I didn't say anything as she reached for the tray and was about to take it out of the room. She got to the door and stopped at the frame. "Shun, you know you can tell me whenever you feel like it." And she left the room. I stared down at my lap and whispered, "I wish I were that easy. I really do Alice."


	3. Boredom, Revealation, and A Kiss

_Shun_

Alice had been taking care of me for the past few days while I recovered my strength. While I was laying in the guest room of her grandfather's house in Moscow, she poked her head in the door and said with a perky voice, "Hey Shun, my grandfather and I are going into to town. Do you want us to bring you anything?" I smiled and told her I was fine. I heard the door close and the engine of her grandfather's car crank up. It wasn't long till I could hear the tires rolling on the snow, and then, silence. During my stay here, Alice would not let me get out of my bed, so I took advantage of her absence and stretched my legs some. I ended up giving myself a tour of the building. I didn't bother going into the lab due to all the times me and the others have been in there. When I walked by the kitchen, there was a stack of dirty dishes in the sink. That's when I remembered Alice saying how busy she had been between this job she had in town and tending to me. _Alice has been so good to me lately. The least I could do is shorten her chore list. _I turned the water on in the sink and grabbed a rag and dish soap. In a matter of minutes I had gone through the stack of dishes. I then left the kitchen and walked into their living room. As I investigated the room, my eyes landed upon a bookshelf. _I suppose I could read to pass the time….Considering they have anything good. _My index finger slid across the spine's of the books, while my eyes read the title and author's name. I had picked up several pick and read the summary, but ended up with nothing that sparked my interest. Out of sheer boredom, I went back into the kitchen and sat at the table next to a window. It gave a perfect view of where I had collapsed nearly four nights ago. As my gaze was fixed on that spot, I never heard Alice and her grandfather drive back up. When they opened the door and Alice had said my name, I ended up jumping a little bit. "Shun, what are you doing out of bed?" I sighed. "I just wanted to get out of that room." She stared at me crossly and saw this wasn't something to start an argument over. "Well, I guess you're well enough that you can get up. But don't go straining yourself." I laughed and said, "Don't worry. I won't." Later that night we all were sitting at the dinner table eating and talking. Dr. Michaels spoke up and said, "Shun. Shouldn't we call Dan or Murucho and tell them you're ok? Reason I waited till now was because I wanted to make sure you were well enough to travel." I thought for a minute or two before saying, "Yeah. We should probably call them, but….Could we call them tomorrow morning? Maybe the afternoon at the latest?" "That's no problem. Here, I'll take the plates and put them in the sink. Speaking of which, thank you for washing the dishes, Shun." I told the elderly man it was no problem. Later I had gotten a shower and was heading back to my room for bed. My hair was still dripping water, but it wasn't bothering me. When I opened my door, Alice was sitting on the bed. My eyes widened in surprise. "Uh Alice, what are you doing in here? I thought you went to bed already." She pushed herself off the bed and looked at me. "It's just, something's been bugging me lately. And I wanted to ask you about it." _What could she want to talk about? _"Uh, what's been bothering you?" She stared right into my eyes and said plainly, "Why did you run off that night? What happened?" The seriousness in her voice was so sharp, that it felt as though it cut through me. I thought to myself that there was no point it trying to hide it, so I told her.

_*Flashback*_

_We had just landed in the Khimiki Airport and boarded the bus that would take us to Murucho's cabin. While the others were talking and laughing, I was looking out into the snow covered landscape when I felt something next to me. When I looked over, I saw Fabia sitting there. I felt my face blush slightly and said, "Hey Fabia. You almost scared me for a minute." She smiled and said sarcastically, "Me? Scare the best ninja around?" I glared at her and then laughed. During the whole bus ride, me and her caught up. She told me about the progress on Neathia, and I told her what had happened on Earth. Before we knew it, the bus had stopped in front of a huge log cabin surrounded by pine trees covered in snow. I heard the others let out sounds of amazement. We had finally settled into our rooms when they called us for dinner. After we ate, Fabia had called my name. She walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "Shun, meet me in the main lobby. I have something I need to tell you." I maneuvered my way through the halls and eventually found the main lobby. Fabia was standing in the middle, and with a guilty expression on her face. "So Fabia. What'd you want to tell me?" She took in a deep breath and said, "I haven't been going back to Neathia to help rebuild. In fact, the city had been rebuilt for almost six months." "I, I don't get what you're trying to tell me." "What I'm trying to tell you is, I've been seeing Linus while seeing you at the same time." My legs almost buckled and I felt as though I were going to be sick. "You've been cheating on me? Why are you telling me this now!" She jerked back when I yelled and told me, "Because this is the last time I'm going to be on Earth cause I'm marrying Linus and becoming the new Queen." I took a step back from her. "Shun. I'm sorry, but-" "I don't care if you're sorry! You've been cheating on me for no telling how long! Hell, you've been cheating on Linus too! Does he even know!" I wouldn't let her get a word out. "You know what, I'm out of here! I don't have to take you're crap!" Then, I slammed open the door and stormed off into the cold night._

_*End Flashback*_

When I was done telling Alice my story, my fists were clenched, and ready to hit something. Then, I felt a delicate hand touch mine. I followed up from the hand and saw Alice's caring eyes looking at me. We ended up leaning in close to each other, and kissed. When we broke the kiss, we both turned away and blushed. Alice stood up and rushed her words out, "I should go to my room. Good night Shun." She closed the door as she left. "Good night…Alice."


	4. Cold, But Not So Lonely Nights

_Shun_

I didn't get any sleep that night. I just sat in my bed staring at the ceiling fan. _Why did I kiss her? I mean, I had feelings for her at one point, but I thought I grew out of them. I….Guess I didn't. _I looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw it was 3 in the morning. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, but it was all in vain. My mind was racing from the incident between me and Alice. When I finally had enough of just laying in the bed, I got up and put on my shoes and a jacket and stepped outside. The minute my body hit the cold night air, I felt the chills go through me and my body let out a shiver. _Maybe I should of gotten another jacket. _"You couldn't sleep either?" I froze in place and looked over to see Alice sitting down on a bench that they had placed outside. "A-Alice. What are you doing out here?" She just stared out into the forest that I had gotten lost in almost a week ago. "This is where I go to do my thinking, and when I cant sleep. You know, I could be asking you the same question. Why don't you take a seat. I won't bite." I swallowed the lump in my throat and walked to the bench and brushed some of the newly fallen snow off. When I sat down I noticed my hands were shaking, but not from the cold. _Why am I so nervous around her all of a sudden? Gah, get a hold of yourself. _"You didn't answer my question, Shun." I snapped out of my thoughts and told her, "Well, after we kissed….I couldn't get to sleep. So I came out here to get some air and get out of that room." For a few minutes, neither of us said a word. We just both looked out at the forest. "Shun." I had never heard anyone speak so softly and quietly before. "Huh? What is it Alice?" She looked down at her hands and said, "I've always liked you. I'm sure you already knew that, I just thought I should tell you." I looked at her and noticed she was shivering slightly, and took my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She looked at my jacket and tried to take it off, but I stopped her. "But Shun, you'll freeze out here." I grabbed her hand and took it off the jacket. "I don't care if I freeze, Besides, this is the least I can do…For somebody I care about." Her eyes widened and blinked in shock. "Shun, are you saying…That you like me?" I smiled and told her, "Alice, I've always liked you. I may have been too stupid to realize till now, but I do." I saw a tear forming in her eyes and I wiped it away before it escaped down her cheek. She leaned in closer to me and put her head in the groove of my neck, and we just sat outside in the cold night for hours, in each others embrace.


	5. Up In Flames

_Shun_

We had sat outside on that bench for maybe twenty minutes, before I started getting too cold. I nudged Alice with my shoulder and told her, "Come on Alice. We almost fell asleep out here, and I'm getting cold." She rubbed her eyes with her hand and nodded her head in agreement. We were both sluggish from fatigue and the sheer cold of the air. I let out a sigh of relief when we went back inside the warm house. _This is much better, but I'm still cold. _My tired body didn't even bother trying to make it to my room, and I just laid down on the couch in the living room. I heard Alice's feet shuffling around on the carpet, meaning she was still up. "Shun, are you going to sleep on the couch tonight?" "Uh-huh," I mumbled. I felt something cover my body and saw Alice had draped a quilt over me. When I turned my head around to thank Alice for the blanket, a pair of lips were placed on mine. When my eyes focused, Alice was standing there smiling with a slight blush on her face and said, "Night Shun." I was still taken aback by the surprise kiss, that I couldn't get any words out. My eyes blinked a few times and felt my lips turn into a slight grin. "Thanks Alice. Same to you." I then laid my head down and drifted off to sleep.

_Dan_

"Ok officer…We understand….Thank you, good-bye." Murucho sighed as he set the phone down and informed us that the search party the police had set up to find Shun, was empty handed. I looked at Murucho and said, "They didn't find ANYTHING? No trace of him?" Murucho shook his head, "Nothing Dan. They said so much snow has fallen in the past few days, that even the search dogs couldn't pick up on his scent. They're even considering turning the search into a recovery mission." _Recovery mission? Isn't that what they do when…they search for the body of a missing person? Does this mean, they think Shun's dead? No! He isn't dead! I just know he isn't. _The only thing that snapped me out of my thoughts, was Runo's hand placed on my shoulder. I turned and looked at her, and she said, "Dan, don't worry. They'll find Shun. And he'll be fine." I sighed and told her, "Thanks Runo. I needed somebody to reassure me. I cant believe that Fabia was cheating on Shun though." We both glared over to where Fabia was sitting, and saw how guilt stricken her face seemed. "You might be able to believe it Dan, but I can. And now she feels bad cause Shun's run off and it's all her fault." I stared at Fabia for a few seconds before telling Runo I was going to go talk to her. Runo gave me a look, but told me to go ahead. I sat down next to Fabia and asked her, "You seem troubled Fabia." Her head shot up and she looked straight at me. Her eyes were red and puffy from where she had been crying. "Yes something is troubling me Dan! Because of me, Shun bolted off and got lost! And now there's no telling what's happened to him!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Fabia! Calm down!" Her widened eyes looked at me and she took a few breaths before speaking. "You're right. Thinking like that won't help Shun." I saw tears starting to form in her eyes again. "Fabia, I didn't think you cared this much for Shun. That is, considering you were cheating on him." As soon as I finished my statement, I felt my face heat up and sting. Fabia and slapped me. "Ow! What the hell was that for!" She stood up and said, "I never said I didn't care for Shun!" She was silent, and her expression changed as she saw the red hand print forming on my face. "Oh, Dan I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slap you. My emotions got the better of me." I rubbed my cheek and told her, "It's ok. I shouldn't of poked around like that. Maybe we should end this conversation before it gets any uglier." She agreed with me and went upstairs to her guest room. While I went outside and kept having an imagine of Shun laying covered in snow, and being found dead by the recovery team. _Shun….Please be ok. _

_Shun_

Sleeping on that couch only made my muscles ache more. When I sat up, I groaned from the small radiating centers of pain coming from my body. _Ugh, come on Shun. Suck it up. You've dealt with worse pain during your training. _My stomach then growled, letting me know that I hadn't eaten in a while. So I headed towards the kitchen, expecting to see Alice and her grandfather sitting at the table eating, but was greeted with an empty room. I looked around and saw a note taped on the fridge. _Shun, there's some leftover breakfast in the fridge. If you need me, I'm in my grandfather's lab. Love, Alice. _The love part caught me off guard, but I made my mind shrug it off. After I heated up my breakfast and ate, I changed clothes and decided I might as well go and see what Alice and her grandfather were doing in the lab. When I stepped out the door, black smoke was flooding out of the lab. I darted towards the lab and saw Dr. Michaels on his hands and knees. "Dr. Michaels! What happened! Where's Alice!_" _He coughed as he tried to get his words out. "An experiment…..Blew up….And caught the….Lab on fire….Please….help my granddaughter….She's still inside…" _Alice is trapped in there! _When I got up to the door, it wouldn't budge. _Gah! It must be blocked! Think! _Then I saw a window that Dr. Michaels had apparently used to get out. I climbed through the window and dropped to the floor. It was so dark that I couldn't even see my hand in front of me. "Alice! Where are you!" I didn't hear her call back. I got down low on the floor where the smoke was slightly thinner. "Alice!" I still didn't hear her respond. _Where is she! _I called her name again. "….Shun….Help…." "Alice! Where are you!" I heard her voice call out to me again. I followed the sound of her voice, and found her laying on the floor surrounded by fallen support beams. _That's why she couldn't get out! _I tried to move some of the beams out of the way, but they were too heavy to move, even for me. "Alice! Hold on just a little longer!" I looked around the pile of beams when I saw an opening large enough for me to get through. When I got through the opening and to Alice, I made sure she was still with me. "Alice! Alice wake up!" I saw her eyes open slowly. _That's good enough for me. _I got her out of the pile of beams and draped her over my shoulder and ran for the window. I saw the light from the window filtering through the smoke, and dove through, making sure Alice was still wrapped in my arms. I landed on my back and slid though the snow. It felt good to be in the cold and breathe in fresh air. That's when I looked down at Alice. Her breaths were short, and she was covered in soot. I shook her slightly, afraid that if I shook her too much, she'd break. "Alice! Alice, wake up!" Her eyes opened, and she smiled slightly. "Alice…." "Shun…You saved me…" Her voice was weak, and shaky. I heard sirens behind me and saw the local fire department drive up and begin fighting the flames. Then the medics rushed over to us and told me to step aside. I didn't argue, I just watched. They placed her on a stretcher and carried her off to the ambulance, but not before they hooked tubes up and gave her and oxygen mask. One of the medics went up to me and said, "She and her grandfather will be fine. We have them routed to the nearest hospital." He handed me an oxygen mask and instructed me to use it. I placed the mask to my face and breathed in. Before everyone was about to leave the property, and the medics gave me a clean bill of health for now, a police officer stopped and looked at me. "Hey kid, what's your name?" I looked up at him and said, "Shun Kazami. Why?" His eyes widened and said, "You're alive." _Alive?_


	6. Restart

_Shun_

_This police guy, thinks I'm DEAD? _"Uh, excuse me. What do you mean by ALIVE? Could you explain?" The officer looked at me like I was crazy, but shook his head and explained. "My unit and I were called by your friends after you went missing about a week ago. But after a while, my unit began doubting you were still alive. In fact, we were going to turn the search into a recovery mission tomorrow. Looks like we can call of the search and inform your friends that you're ok." The guy kept talking about the search and so on, but I wasn't paying any mind to him. _I totally forgot to call Dan and the others and tell them I was at Alice's and ok. And all this time they were probably worrying themselves to death, and sent a search team out to find me._ The officer snapped his fingers in front of my face several times before I looked at him, and gave him a _What is this fool doing? _look. He stepped back a few inches and said, "Uh, sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but I should probably get you to you back to your friends. I turned my head and looked down the driveway where the ambulance had entered and left. "Just call my friends and tell them to meet me at the hospital." The guy scratched the back of his head and looked confused. "Uh, ok. Sure." He cranked up his car and drove off. That was when I slapped myself in the face. _Idiot. I should of asked for a ride to the hospital. Ugh. I should really think things through more often. _I sighed and stepped inside and found a phonebook. I flipped through the pages and found a local taxi service and punched in the numbers. _At this rate Dan and the others will beat me to the hospital._

_Dan_

_Ring. Ring. _That was the daily phone call from the search and rescue team we had hired to find Shun, but would soon turn into a recovery team. _I bet you this is the call saying they'll be looking for Shun's body. _I sat on the couch and focused my hearing on the phone call. Murucho picked up the phone after the fourth ring. "Hello….Seriously!…..Ok! We'll be there in no time!" Murucho tossed the phone on the receiver, but it ended up hanging by the cord. I looked at the wide eyed blonde and said, "Calm down Murucho! What did they say?" He took a few breaths before spitting his words out. "They found Shun! And he's alive!" That's when I felt my own eyes widen. _Shun's alive? _Murucho continued telling us what the officer had said. "They said Shun wants to meet up with us at the Moscow Central Hospital." Runo quickly chimed in and said, "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" We all agreed at the same time and had Kato crank up the limo, and we set off for the Moscow Central Hospital.

_Shun_

I was sitting in the waiting area at the hospital when a nurse came up to me and said, "You can see your friend and her grandfather now. The girl is in room 325 and her grandfather is right next to it." I thanked the brunette nurse and found the room. _323.…324.…Aha! 325. _The slowly pushed the door open and stepped in the room. I looked and saw Alice laid in a hospital bed sleeping. I quietly pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down. While she was sleeping, I took that chance to assess her injuries. The doctors had told me she only had a few minor burns, cuts, and bruises, but I wanted to see for myself. I could see where they had bandaged up her cuts, and a few of her burns. _Probably burns that were exposed and they didn't want them to get infected. _My eyes drifted up to her face and found a thin cut on her left cheek. I leaned forward and grazed the cut gently with the back of my hand. All she did was move a little, but didn't wake up. _Alice…_ And just as if she heard my thoughts, her eyes opened and looked at me. "Shun….You're here." She smiled weakly at me. _She looks so weak and fragile. Almost like she'll break any minute._ I was brought out of my thoughts by her shaking voice. "You saved me…..Thank you, Shun." I smiled slightly and told her, "No Alice. You saved me. From being alone, and I wasn't going to let you die." I leaned in near her face and touched her lips to mine. I knew we had kissed a few times before, and felt a spark every time. But I had never felt this big of a spark between us like this. When I pulled away, it was almost like the both of us were in a daze. We sat there for a minute before the sound of footsteps and the door opening. I turned and saw Dan and the others. Their eyes almost popped out of their sockets and jaws almost hit the floor. Murucho made his way through the crowd of people and saw Alice and said, "Alice, what happened?" Alice and I looked at each other and then at Murucho. "Murucho, Alice is too weak to explain, so I will. How about we talk in the waiting area where there's more room?" They all nodded their heads and filed out of the room quietly. We sat down, and I began to tell them everything. From me running off, to the explosion in the lab. But all during that, I kept sneaking glances at Fabia, and she was doing the same.


	7. Insomnia

_Shun_

I spent the past hour explaining, in detail, everything that's happened recently. From how Alice had found me, to the explosion in the lab. Murucho pushed his glasses up back on his nose and said, "Well, the important thing is that we know where you're at and that you're not dead." Dan stood up from his chair and stretched, "Hey, I think I'm gunna go and talk to Alice. Runo, ya wanna come with?" Runo didn't hesitate, and left with Dan. I diverted my eyes to where Fabia was sitting. All she was doing was looking down at the floor. I cleared my throat and got the remaining people's attention. While their eyes were on me I said, "Um, could all of you maybe go into another and leave me and Fabia here to talk?" They all exchanged glances, and you could see the _Dude, we better get out of here before we get caught up in something. _expressions on their faces. All of them stood up and went downstairs to either the hospital's cafeteria or gift shop. Now, all that was left was me and Fabia. "Shun, I'm sorry I caused you all this grief. I wasn't expecting these results to go this far." She never looked up from the floor, but her voice was flooded with guilt. I only folded my arms and leaned back in my chair. "I understand if you don't want to forgive me for all the trouble I've given everyone recently, but I just want you to know I really am sorry." _I think she's serious. But she cheated on me with Linus, and that's unforgivable in my book. _Neither of us said a word. Maybe it was the awkwardness between the two of us, or maybe I still wasn't over the whole fact that somebody I was close to could play with my emotions and hurt me. And just as if Dan had sensed the tension, he walked back into the waiting area and broke the silence. "Hey guys, Murucho's parents called and said that we should get back to the cabin cause this huge snow storm is moving in fast." Everyone that came with Murucho to Khimiki, was standing in the waiting area, ready to go back. "Hey Dan, if it's cool with you guys, I think I'm going to stay her with Alice." Dan cocked his eyebrow and figured out what I was getting at. He looked at Murucho and the short blonde shrugged his shoulders and said, "He can stay here. I'm sure the hospital has some place he could sleep." I smiled slightly and thanked him for his understanding. After they all walked off, I headed back to Alice's room. The chair I had pulled up next to the bed had been moved back by somebody, and a few other chairs that were in the room were also moved around. I stepped silently in the room and slid the chairs back into place, making sure not to wake Alice, who had fallen asleep again. After the chairs were put back, I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. I yawned and went over to an ugly, blue-green synthetic leather sofa that smelled of gloves and disinfectants, and sat down. All of the day's events were finally starting to catch up to me, and my body was saying how exhausted it was. I went and found the closet they had in every room, and pulled out one of the cheap spare pillows and blankets, and went back to the sofa. As soon as my head laid down on that pillow, my eyes closed, and I was out.

_Alice_

Even though I was asleep, I could feel my body moving from the uncomfortable burns and cuts. Without opening my eyes, I made my hand feel around for the pain killer button the nurses had installed. When I found it, I pushed the button and heard the beep, telling me that the pain killers were being sent into my body. Within a matter of seconds, I felt relief from the aches that plagued me. _I wonder where Shun's at._ I then opened my eyes and scanned the dark room for the raven haired teen, and eventually found him curled up on the hospital's sofa. Without the TV on, I could hear everything going on. That is, if I focused on it. I strained my ears and heard the laughter of nurses that were working the night shifts, and the wheels on the janitor's cart gliding on the floor. When I finally stopped trying to listen to what was going on outside of my room, I heard the wailing of wind on the other side of my room's window. Even though my curtains were closed, and I couldn't see out the window, I knew it was a snow storm. And from the sound of it, it was a big one. Since I had been listening to everything, I was wide awake, and unable to fall back asleep. _There's got to be something I can do from right here that won't disturb Shun. I mean, with everything that happened today, I owe him a good night's rest._ Sitting on the nightstand next to my hospital bed, were flyers talking about everything from Asthma to Flu viruses. _If these don't make me fall asleep, nothing will. _I read all the flyers, and only yawned once. I threw my head back into my pillow and sighed in aggravation. I apparently sighed louder than I thought, cause Shun moved a little and the propped himself up on his elbow. "Oh Shun, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I just couldn't get to sleep." He rubbed his eye with his hand and said sleepily, "It's ok Alice. You didn't wake me up. This sofa is almost as comfortable as it is beautiful." I giggled at Shun's smart remark to the piece of furniture. He smiled at me and said, "Why are you awake?" I told him, "Well, my pain killers were wearing off, so I pressed the button for more. Then I started listening to all the sounds around here, and now I can't sleep." Shun rested his head in his hand, then closed his eyes and said, "Why didn't you just call a nurse in here for some sleep meds?" I lifted my head up and stared at the wall and said, "I'm such and idiot. Why didn't I think of that?" Shun chuckled and said, "Because you were thinking about me instead." I glared at him and retorted back, "Don't get your hopes up pretty boy." He jerked his body back like he had flinched and said, "Ouch. No need to be hurtful now." We both laughed when a nurse came into the room and flipped the light on. Both me and Shun's eyes squinted close as the bright light was suddenly flipped on. The nurse's mousey voice then said, "Don't worry kiddies. I'm just changing her IV line and I'll be out of here in no time!" She basically hoped out of the room, and had left the light on. Shun growled and said with an unenthused tone, "Did she just say '_Kiddies'_, or am I just so tired that I'm hearing things?" I giggled and reassured him his hearing was correct. He sighed and tossed the blanket off his legs when he got up to turn the light off. While getting back to the sofa, he stumbled a few times. I giggled at how clumsy he was when he was sleepy. "Yeah yeah. Laugh it up." He crawled back into the blanket and laid down and yawned. I felt my eyes getting heavy, and begin to struggle to stay open. "Hey Shun, I think I'm going to try and go back to sleep. Kay?" He didn't say anything, and when I looked at him, I saw he had already fallen back to sleep. I smiled. _What am I going to do with you? _My eyes eventually closed and my mind fell asleep, and it was thinking how lucky I was to have Shun by my side.


	8. White Lily Flowers

_Alice_

That morning when I woke up, light was filtering from the window and right into my eyes. _Who opened the curtains? _After my eyes adjusted, I looked at the sofa where Shun had slept last night. All that was on the sofa was the blanket and pillow he used. _I wonder where he ran off to…._I looked up at the old box TV they had in every room, and decided to see what channels they got. After feeling around for the remote, I flipped the TV on and heard that high pitched noise they always make. The TV only got about three channels: Disney Channel, The History Channel, and The USA Network.

I sighed and flipped it to the USA Network and saw that House was on. I had watched it a few times, but never fully understood what it was about. _I guess now is the best time to figure out._ After a few minutes I started getting into the show. While my eyes were fixed on the TV, my doctor walked into the room and set my chart down. "Good morning. You seem to be doing good today." I turned to the doctor and smiled. "Yeah. I'm feeling much better. If you don't mind me asking, when am I going home?" He smiled and flipped through the pages on his clipboard and told me, "Well, it says you could go home today, but with that snow storm last night everything is snowed in, so you might be here an extra day at the most." He went and told me a few steps I should take with my burns when I do get home though.

Before he left out of the room I stopped him. "Hey, I was wondering if you've seen the guy that was in here?" He stopped for a minute and put his thumb to his chin. _I guess that's his thinking position. _"You mean the black hair boy with a uh, what would you call it….Oh! With the antenna?" _Did he seriously call it an antenna? _I scratched the back of my head with my hand and told him, "Uh yeah. Him." The doctor then went back into his thinking position. _This is going to take forever. Thank heavens I didn't have some illness like on House, or else I'd be dead before this guy even had an idea what was wrong with me._ He shrugged his shoulders and told me last time he saw Shun was last night. I thanked the confused doctor and said he could go now. I sighed. _Where is Shun? This isn't like him to just disappear like this. At least, not without leaving a note or something._

I sat forward and placed my bare feet on the cold tile floor. This was the first time I even noticed I was wearing one of the hospital's hideous gowns._ Ugh. The hospital must be on drugs to have people wear these things._ I stood up and felt my IV line tug slightly on my arm, signaling that I was still connected to the machine. I grabbed the IV stand and wheeled it over to the window. My elbows were resting on the windowsill, and my chin placed in my hands. Just by looking down, I guessed I was maybe on the third or fourth floor of the building, and I was right above the emergency room entrance. Ambulances were driving in and out of the parking lot, bringing people in, and going to retrieve people. Sometime during the morning they had cleared the snow from the streets for them, and not the rest of the hospital. _So, the only open entrance or exit is through the emergency room._ During my people watching, I never heard my room door open. But I did feel a set of hands wrap around my waist. When I realized somebody was holding me, I screamed and turned around, only to be greeted my Shun's amber eyes.

_Shun_

"Ow. You didn't have to scream that close to my ear you know." Her brown eyes were wide, then blink a few times before she hit me in the arm. "Don't scare me like that!" _Ow. That actually hurt._ I rubbed my arm, and knew I'd have a bruise there. "Oh, I'm sorry Shun. I didn't mean to hit that hard." I smiled through the pain and told her it was ok and that I kind of deserved it. I sat down on the sofa and stretched my arms on the back of the piece of furniture. "So Shun, where were you?" I crossed my legs and reached for a plastic bag I had carried in with me. "Well, first I got up and went downstairs to the cafeteria for something to eat, and then I went and got this." I reached into the bag and pulled out a necklace I had bought at the gift shop.

I told her to hold out her hand, and I placed it in her palm. She looked at it and said, "Oh Shun, it's beautiful. And it has a lily on the chain." I smiled and said, "I noticed all the lilies you had placed around your house and figured out they must of be your favorite flower, and when I saw that necklace, I thought of you. Do you like it?" Her eyes went away from the necklace then to me. "Like it? I love it. Thank you so much Shun. You didn't have to do this though." I got off the sofa and stood in front of her. "I know, but I wanted to." I took the necklace from her and put it around her neck. Alice looked at her reflection in the window and placed her hand on the white flower in the center of the chain. We were just about to kiss when her doctor barged in the room. "Hello again. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." _No, of course not. You didn't ruin a special moment._ The doctor continued talking. "I just came to inform you that the streets are all cleared and you and your grandfather can be discharged and go home…..Oh! I see you found antenna boy. Good job. Well, I'll get your discharge papers and you'll be on your way." He left out of the room without closing the door. I cocked an eyebrow at Alice and said, "Antenna boy? Are ALL the doctors and nurses here on drugs?" Alice giggled and told me she'd explain the whole antenna thing to me when we all were back at her house.

_Alice_

Filling out the discharge papers and other forms took forever. _You'd think all you'd have to do is say 'I'm checking out cause I'm all better' but noooo._ When we finally finished the paper work, it was getting dark outside. "Grandfather, you don't drive well at night, let me." Shun grabbed my wrist and looked at me. "No, I'll drive. You two need to take it easy." I gave up and let Shun get in the driver's seat of my grandfather's car, while I climbed in the backseat with my grandfather.

The ride back was fairly quiet. Shun pulled the car into the driveway and parked. Before I got out, I looked at the lab. The roof had fallen in from lack or support, and the whole building was charred. My grandfather just stared at the building and said, "My lab. My whole life's work, up in smoke." I put my hand on his shoulder and told him it would be ok. When we got inside, everything was the same as it was when the explosion happened. I opened my room door and sat my bag down and just plopped on my bed. _Ah. This is much better than that hospital bed._ I sat up and saw Shun leaning on my doorframe. I smiled. "Hey Shun. Watcha need?" He grinned and said smoothly, "I was just coming to tell you good night." He walking into my room and kissed my cheek, then left. I ran to my door and peeked out into the hallway.

My grandfather was talking to Shun. "Shun, I just wanted to thank you for saving Alice. I'd rather lose my lab that Alice. I'm extremely grateful." Shun stared him right in the eyes and said boldly, "It wouldn't of mattered if there was a tornado coming this way. I would of saved her…Cause I love her." I pulled my head back into my room and jumped onto my bed. I grabbed my pillow and hugged it, squealing like a little girl. _Shun loves me! He loves me! _I laid down on my back, still holding my pillow, and just stared at the ceiling smiling.


	9. Party Invite

_Shun_

That morning at breakfast, I hadn't know Alice had overheard me telling her grandfather that I loved her last night, so I was wondering why she kept sneaking glances at me and giggling. _I know she isn't on any meds that would make her like this. She knows something._ I looked at my empty plate then asked the old man sitting next to Alice, "Um, is it ok if I go outside and get some air? It's just a little stuffy in here to me for some reason." The elder man smiled and replied, "It's no problem at all." I threw my jacket on and slid on my shoes, which were suede, and knew they wouldn't stay dry too long outside in the snow. _I really need to rethink what I wear in different climates._ The cold air sent chills up my arms and neck as I started walking into the wind.

With the sun just beginning to climb over the tree line, the snow was illuminated with oranges, golds, and even hints of blue. I always had thought anything covered in snow was beautiful, but was always even more amazing during the morning. _Beep. Beep._ I growled and reached into my jacket pocket for the device that ruined the silence. It was my cell phone notifying me that I had a text message.

I hit the view button and noticed it was from Dan. _Hey buddy! Murucho's parents are having this HUGE party thing for business or something like that, and Murucho wanted to know if you and Alice would like to come! _Before replying to the text, I decided to think this through. _I know Alice would love to get out of the house. And this would be a good chance for her to see Runo and Julie, unlike when she was in a hospital bed and completely doped up on pain killers._ I got my phone back out and sent Dan a text saying, _Let me ask Alice and her grandfather. I'll let you know when I find out, kay?_ Dan sent me back a text saying it was no problem. I put my phone back into my pocket and headed back for the house.

_Alice_

When Shun walked back into the house, I had finished my food and washed what dished we had used this morning. "Hey Shun. Feeling better now that you got some air?" He was hanging his jacket up on the hook and said, "Yeah. Much better. I've got a question for you and your grandfather." Me and my grandfather exchanged glances before looking back at Shun. "Murucho's parents are having a party to promote something for business, and they were wondering if you and me wanted to go. The reason it involves you Dr. Michaels, is because I don't want to go and take Alice off somewhere without your permission."

My grandfather shot Shun a "_Smart kid" _look and said, "It's fine with me, but it's up to Alice if she wants to go." Shun looked at me with hopeful eyes. _He wants me to go, I can tell. Heck, I want to go! _I smiled and nodded my head and said, "Yes! I'd love to go." Shun's eyes lit up and he smiled. "That's great. Let me text Dan and tell him we're going." Shun flipped out his phone and walked into the next room to send his message. Then something ran across my mind. "Grandfather, I don't have a nice dress to wear. It's too formal for me to just wear my one of my plain purple dresses." He smiled and said, "Follow me Alice. I have something I've been keeping when something like this would happen." _I wonder what he's got._

I followed my grandfather upstairs and into his room. He stepped into his closet and pulled out a thin cardboard box that was only a few inches in height, and maybe a foot in length. "What's in the box grandfather?" He sat the box on his bed and said, "Go on. Open it." I pulled the lid off the box and pulled the tissue paper back, and gasped. "Grandfather! It's beautiful!" He held my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "It was you're mother's dress. But there's one thing I want you to do." I took my gaze from the dress and said, "Which is what?" My grandfather grinned slightly and said, "Don't let Shun see you in it until the party." _He wants me to surprise Shun the night of the party. _I giggled and told him it was no problem.

_Shun_

Dan had received my text and sent me the time, date, and location of the party. Murucho's parents had rented out some seriously fancy building about a mile from their cabin in Khimiki. As for the date, it was being held in two days. _I'm going to have to find something formal to wear to this thing. I wonder what Alice is wearing. Or for that fact, where Alice is now. _I heard her and Dr. Michaels voce coming from upstairs.

Alice ran down the stairs and stopped a few inches in front of me. I informed her and Dr. Michaels of the time and date of the party. "Hey Shun, when we go to the party is it ok if I meet up with you there? Cause I have to work late at the grocery store that day." I cocked an eyebrow at her and said, "Sure. I guess we can." She clapped her hands together and said, "Great! This is going to be so much fun!" Alice skipped off into another room, and I was left with Dr. Michaels. "This is the happiest I've seen Alice in a while. And it's all thanks to you, Shun." I looked at the old man and politely told him, "Well, this is the happiest I've been in a while myself. And I can thank your granddaughter for that." He smiled and shuffled off into another room, while I was left standing in the center of the living room.

* * *

><p>OMG! I KNOW IT'S SHORT! lol. I swear i wasnt being lazy, i just ran out of stuff and really want the party to be in the next chapter. XP I PROMISE I WILL UPDATE TOMORROW WHEN I GET BACK FROM SCHOOL! Thanks! Please review! 3<p> 


	10. Unexpected Alterations

_Shun_

It was the day of the party and I pulled out my rental tux out of the plastic bag they used to protect the clothing from dirt and so on. It was just a basic black tux with a green bow tie. Alice was still at work, and her grandfather had left ten minutes ago to go and pick her up. I opened the car door of Dr. Michaels' car he had let me borrow, while he left in Alice's car. They had worked out some kind of agreement where he would drop Alice off at work, then pick her up and drive her to the party while he let me use his car as a means of transportation. I put the key in ignition and backed carefully down the driveway.

I looked into the rearview mirror and thought of how odd I looked in a tux, especially from my everyday clothes. _Well, this thing is formal, and I don't want to show up looking like I just walked off the street._ In twenty minutes I found the building that Murucho's parents rented out for the night. It turned out to be a huge, fancy dinner hall used by anyone from politicians to celebrities. Once I made sure I had anything and locked the car door, I walked into the building and was greeted by Dan and the others.

Dan was wearing a tux as well, but just had a long red tie on, while Murucho was in kind of a baby blue tux. "Hey buddy! Almost thought you weren't showing up. Where's Alice?" I explained to Dan that she was still at work and would be here in a few minutes. Then Murucho ran up to us and said, "Well, how bout we go downstairs to the main hall?" Sure enough, leading into the main hall was a huge staircase that fanned out the further it went, and right above the center of the room was a giant crystal chandelier. "Wow Murucho, you're parents really outdid themselves on finding this place." Murucho thanked me for my compliment as we descended down the steps.

_Alice_

I hadn't the fact I had lied to Shun, but I didn't want him to see me in my dress until I was at the party. When my grandfather had dropped me off, it wasn't at the grocery store of course, it was at a make-up and hair salon. After I had gotten my hair and make-up done, I went into a store with a changing room and put my dress on. Now, I was waiting for my grandfather to pick me up and drive me to the party. Soon I heard the rumbling of my car's engine, and he drove into the parking lot. I opened the door and hoped in. "You look nice Alice. Shun's lucky you know that right?" I giggled and thanked my grandpa as we drove we off. When we arrived at the location, I was completely shocked at the size of the building.

_I can't even begin the think of what the size of this place is inside!_ I saw my grandfather's car that Shun had borrowed parked a few spaces down. _Good, he's here._ "Thank you so much for letting me go grandfather." I leaned over and kissed my grandpa on the cheek and climbed out of the car. I went through the front entrance, and was directed by some guy in a tux to go and find the staircase and go to the main hall. I saw the stairs and took a deep breath. _This is it Alice. Your time to shine. And your chance to surprise Shun._ I then found myself at the top of the stairs with everyone's eyes on me.

_Shun_

While I was speaking to Rafe and Murucho, Dan hit my shoulder with his hand. "What is it Dan?" He shook his head in the direction of the stairs and said, "Alice is here and you should see her." I looked up at the flight of steps and literally had my breath taken away. Alice had her hair done up in an elegant ponytail with a purple bow where the ponytail was tied at. But what really caught my eyes was her dress. It was a silk purple spaghetti strap dress that came just above her knees and fluffed out slightly at the bottom. I met her at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed both her hands in mine.

"Alice, you look stunning." She blushed through her make-up and said, "I wasn't really at work. I had gone to get my hair done and didn't want you to see me in my dress till the party. I hope you're not mad at me." I smiled and shook my head. "Now how can I be mad at something as beautiful as you? Oh, I see you decided to wear the necklace I got you." She gently placed her hands on the white flowered necklace I bought her at the gift shop at the hospital. "Of course. It's special to me, and goes with the dress." Dan then jumped between us out of nowhere and said, "Hey, you two get a room later! We're here to party!" Alice started blushing madly, and I could feel my own face turning red. _Grrrr…..Dan!_ "I'm going to go talk to Runo and Julie, kay Shun?" I told her go on ahead. While Alice and the other girls were talking, I walked over to the refreshment table and fixed the two of us a glass of punch. When I turned around, a bluenette haired girl in a long gold formal gown caught my attention. _Fabia. I thought she was back in Neathia now._

I suppressed a growl that was trying to escape my throat. _Just ignore her Shun. That's all you can do._ "Hey Alice, I got you something to drink." She turned around and took that drink from me. "Thanks Shun. I was getting thirsty." _I guess I can go over and talk to Dan and Murucho._ While I was walking off I caught a little of the girls' conversations. They were mainly complementing Alice's dress and such. When I walked up to Dan, he immediately said, "Dude, Alice looks great tonight. I mean, she was always cute, but I've never seen her dressed up like this." I looked back at Alice and she turned her head slightly and waved at me. I smiled and waved back. The whole night at the party was mainly all talking. Although there was music playing over the speaker system, nobody could hear it. Finally around midnight the party had fully diffused, and all that was left was Me, Alice, Dan, and all the others that came with Murucho on this trip.

We all stood outside and said our good-byes, then climbed into our cars. When I walked up to Dr. Michaels' car, I opened Alice's door and waited for her. I noticed she seemed to be moving a little slow. _She must be exhausted._ I helped her into the car and then got into the driver's side and turned the vehicle on. We were halfway back to her house, I looked over at her. She had leaned her head against the window and had fallen asleep. After ten more minutes, I pulled the car into the driveway. As I turned the car off and placed my hand on Alice's shoulder and shook her lightly. "Alice. Hey Alice wake up. We're at your house." She only moved and mumbled. _You're gunna make me pull you out of this car, aren't you?_ When I walked over to her side and opened the door, the light on the inside of the car revealed that Alice's cheeks were slightly flushed. I placed the back of my hand on her forehead.

_Ah man, she's warm. I need to get her inside and out of this cold._ I threw her arm over my shoulder and pulled her out of the car, then helped her to her feet. Her eyes were still closed, and when she took a few steps she would either stumble or her legs would buckle. _There's no way I can get her inside at this rate. I need help._ I saw the light on in the kitchen and Dr. Michaels silhouette in the window. I called out his name and he immediately ran outside. "What happened to Alice?" When the weight of Alice was bearable for me I said, "I'm not sure. All I know is she's running a fever." When we finally did get inside, we placed Alice down on the couch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the blanket Alice had given me when I fell asleep on the couch a while back, and covered her up with it. Dr. Michaels then walked back into the room and placed an ice cold damp cloth on her forehead. The elder man then spoke. "Shun, how about you go on to sleep. I know it's been a long day and you're probably tired. I'll take care of Alice while you sleep, and give her some medicine when she wakes up." I looked at him and said, "Thank you Dr. Michaels. If I wasn't so tired, I'd stay up and take care of her, but a good night's rest and I should be able to tend to her tomorrow." The man nodded and I headed upstairs and crawled into my bed, practically falling asleep the instant I laid down.


	11. Under The Weather

_Shun_

When my eyes opened and looked over to the digital clock on my nightstand, and saw the time. _Damn, I slept for ten hours._ But in the end, all that sleep didn't do me any good cause I was still exhausted from last night. Thinking about the party last night made me remember Alice, who was probably still on the couch out cold. I tossed my covers off and headed downstairs, almost tripping several times cause I was still drowsy. Once in the living room, I peered over to the couch Dr. Michaels and I had placed Alice on last night.

Alice was in the same position we left her in, and Dr. Michaels was sleeping on the matching love seat across from the couch. I walked quietly on my feet, trying not to wake the two of them up. I then placed my hand on my stomach as it growled, telling me I hadn't eaten in a while. I sighed._ I'm not really that hungry though, despite my stomach growling, but I need to eat something._ When I was almost in the kitchen, I had passed by a mirror. I stopped walking and back up and looked at myself in the mirror.

My hair hadn't been brushed, my eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and my skin looked pale. _It's official….I look like crap, and feel about as bad as I look right now._ I sighed in aggravation and headed into the kitchen. After pawing through the fridge for a few minutes and finding some cubed fruit, I sat down at the table that had been placed next to the window. I had only eaten three or four pieces of the fruit, and couldn't force myself to eat anymore. I got up from the table and returned to fruit to the fridge where I got it, and went back into the living room to check on Alice. She looked just she had when we put her there last night. Using the back on my hand, I checked her forehead again, and she was still warm.

As I was removing my hand, her eyes opened slowly. I whispered just loud enough that she could hear me, but not her grandfather. "Alice, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She blinked a few times and said with a raspy voice, "Shun….I don't feel well at all…" I could see it was taking a lot out of her just to get those words out pf her mouth. I sighed and asked her is she may be able to make it up to her room. Alice only shook her head. _There's no way I can get her up those stairs, not with the way I'm feeling right now._ When I looked back down at her, she had closed her eyes again, and was starting to drift back to sleep.

I bit my lower lip and grabbed the cloth Dr. Michaels had used as an ice pack for Alice last night, and ran cold water over it in the kitchen sink. I returned back into the living room and put the cloth back on her forehead. _I know it's not going to do much, but it will help for now. Besides, until she wakes up a little more she doesn't need to be taking any meds._ I bead of water slid down her cheek from the rag and onto the cushion of the couch. Dr. Michaels then began to stir, and then woke up himself. He leaned his head up and looked over at me.

"Ah Shun, how long have you been up?" He stretched after he spoke, grunted as he did so. "I've been awake for perhaps an hour." He then adverted his attention to his ill granddaughter on the couch and frowned. "She still running a fever?" I nodded my head and spoke, "Yeah. She woke up earlier, but was too weak to talk. When she fell back asleep I went and wet that rag in the sink with cold water." The old man thanked me for doing that while he was resting. He sat up, and I heard several of his joints pop, then picked up the phone sitting on the coffee table in the center of the room. "Who are you calling?"

He punched in a number and said, "I'm calling an old friend. He's been a doctor for many years and said if we ever needed his help to call him." While the two men talked on the phone, I went back over to Alice and brushed one of the orange locks out of her eyes with the back of my finger. I heard the sound of the phone being set back down on the receiver, and turned around to see the man had ended his phone call. "My friend will be over in an hour or so see Alice. You know, I didn't mention anything earlier, but you look like you're not feeling well yourself."

I sat down on the love seat where he had been sleeping earlier and said, "Yeah, I haven't been feeling like myself all morning. Or when I went to sleep for that fact." The elder man took off his glasses and cleaned them while saying, "Perhaps we should have my friend to look at you. That is, if you want, of course." _It probably wouldn't hurt for him to see what's wrong with me. _"Yeah. It's no problem." I leaned back into the love seat and closed my eyes. With my eyes shut, I could feel the aches and pains coursing around my body. I then shot up and quickly opened my eyes. Dr. Michaels doctor friend had slammed the door shut and had scared both me and Alice. She was just like me, sitting straight up and wide eyed.

The old doctor looked almost like Dr. Michaels, but just had more hair. "Hello, I'm Dr. Fredrick. And you must be Alice." He set a bag down and walked over to the disoriented red head. I watched as he took her temperature and so forth. After about an hour, he walked up to Dr. Michaels and said, "Well, it looks like she's just got a bad virus. There's one been going around lately, and my wife had just gotten over it lately." The man went over to his bag and pulled out a bottle of pills. He explained to Dr. Michaels how the antibiotics should be taken and was about to leave when he stopped him. "Stan, hold on. My granddaughter's boyfriend isn't feeling well either, and I was wondering if you could check him as well."

When he said boyfriend it felt weird, cause it seemed like Alice and I were so much more than just your everyday couple. Dr. Fredrick looked at me, then did the same procedure he did on Alice. He pulled out an identical bottle of pills and said, "Here, they're the same medicine I gave the girl. But you just have a minor case of the flu, and if you follow the directions you should be feeling better in no time." I thanked the man and he and Dr. Michaels walked outside to talk. I set the pills on the coffee table next to the phone, then looked back at Alice, who had gone back to sleep again. I leaned back into the love seat and did the same.

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><p>OMG. lol. In my opinion it was slightly repeatative. -.-'' But I'm actually making this up as I'm going along. I don't even know what the title of the next chapter will be. So, all of this was JUST written. Excuse me for any errors or misspellings i may of made cause i was kinda being rushed. I will either upload one or two chapters tomorrow because it's a weekend and i don't have school. YAY! XD lol. So, please read and tell me what you think. (Suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed!) Thanks for reading!<p> 


	12. Bittersweet Memories

_Shun_

I has started to take the antibiotics later that night, and could already feel the medicine kicking in. Dr. Michaels had recently given one of the pills to Alice, and it had already kicked in and broke her fever. When she finally had enough energy, we helped her up the stairs and into her room, so she would finally be off that couch and into a more comfortable place. I was laid up in my own room reading a book, and slowly drifting off to sleep cause of the pills' side effects. Unable to hold my eyes open any longer, I folded the corner of my page and turned the light off.

_Alice_

I was still tired, but the medicine was helping a lot. It had killed my fever for now, and rid my body of aches and pains. I could live without the drowsing effects though. I decided to get up for a few minutes and get something to drink before the meds put me out for another 4 hours. I had to walk past the room Shun was staying in before I could go downstairs and to the kitchen. The door was open just enough for me to stick my head in. All I saw was him curled up under the covers. _Grandpa did tell me he wasn't feeling well either. I better get out of here before I wake him up._ I poured my glass of cold water when I got to the kitchen. Water had never tasted so good to me, considering I had been asleep so much I hadn't had a lot to drink. I saw my grandfather outside through the kitchen window, salvaging what he could from the burned lab.

He walked back inside through the door and knocked some of the snow off his boots. "Alice, what are you doing up?" I held up my glass of water and he understood. "Well, I couldn't find any of my previous work in the lab. Looks I lost all of it in that fire." I felt bad for my grandfather. _That lab was his entire life's work. It can't be easy to have everything you worked for here one day, then gone the next._ "Grandfather, I'm gunna go back up to my room. Those meds are making me sleepy again." He nodded his head, and I headed back to my room just like I said I was going to.

_Shun_

When I woke up from my two hour nap, it had been the best I had felt last few days. I sat upright in my bed and stretched my arms above my head. I glanced over at the little digital clock. _It's only two in the afternoon. I wonder what's on TV. _The TV that was placed on top of this wooden dresser was your basic old box TV, fuzzy picture and everything. Flipping through the channels, I eventually found the Comedy Central channel and saw that Scrubs was on. _Well, this looks like the only thing worth watching._ I sat through the back to back episodes, even though I had seen them both, then turned the TV off._ Ugh, I have never been this bored in my life. Maybe Alice is awake. It wouldn't hurt to check in on her anyway._ I wasn't trying to be quiet as I walked down the hall, and that resulted in me stepping on some creaky wooden floorboards. Alice's door was slightly cracked enough that I saw her laying in her bed asleep. I saw she left her desk lamp on, and I entered the room to turn the switch off.

Laying on the desk was the necklace I had bought her. I put my fingers on the lamp, and smiled at her before flipping the light off. Once out of the room, I gently closed the door behind me. That was when I first noticed this dark oak table against the wall in the center of the hallway. It, of course, had a vase with some lilies in them, and a huge spiral bound photo album next to them. The album had _Memories_ etched on the cover of the book. I turned open the cover, and saw the first page of pictures. _These are all pictures of the brawlers._ There were pictures as far back as when we all first met and formed the team.

Most of the pages had photos of Runo and Julie. _I don't remember half these pictures being taken._ It had seemed Alice took our photos when we were least aware of it. There was even one of Runo and Dan fighting. _Those were fun times._ Alice had at some point, took a picture or Mira, Ace, and Baron when they followed us back to Earth from New Vestroia. And at the end of the photo album, were the pictures of all of us after we defeated Naga. I smiled and closed the album, which was followed by a cloud of dust rising from the pages that hadn't been touched in years.

I wiped the dust from fingers and headed back towards my room. As I got to my room door, I heard my phone beeping inside. I walked over to where I had plugged it in, and saw Dan had texted me. _Hey Shun, Murucho's folks said we're all leaving to go back home tomorrow. You should probably start packing or whatever, that is, if you're going with us._ I sat down on the bed and stared at my phone's screen._ I don't really want to go back to that old man I call my grandfather, but I know he won't allow me to stay here. Heck, I don't even know if Dr. Michaels will let me stay. All I know is that I'm happy here, and that's been a first for a long time. If I did get to stay here, I'd have to go back anyway to retrieve my things from my grandfather._ I just sat there at the foot of the bed, and thought back and forth in my mind about if I got to stay and if I didn't. _I'll ask Dr. Michaels tonight at diner if I can stay. I just hope he says yes, cause I don't think I could live without Alice._

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><p>Hmmm...Will Shun get to stay or leave? Heck, I don't even know yet. XP This story may go on for a VERY long time. lol. It may even end up over twenty chapters at this rate. o.O So, please add it to you're favorites, review, comment and other what not. XP I shall update either later tonight if I'm in a writing mood, but will certainly update tomorrow. :)<p> 


	13. Nerves Get The Better Of Us All

_Shun_

Dinner seemed to take forever, and it felt as though it had been hours, when it was only a few minutes. During this time though, I was running through different ways I could ask Dr. Michaels if I could stay here, instead of going back home to my grandfather. I was sitting at the kitchen table, tapping my index finger nervously on the surface, when Alice walked in. "Hey Shun. Um, is something bothering you?" I stopped tapping my finger and tucked my hand into a fist, then smiled at her and said, "No, I'm fine. Just a little anxious for some reason." She looked at me, and I could tell she wasn't buying my story, but she shrugged and walked into another room.

_At least she looks like she's feeling better. Heck, I'm feeling a ton better myself._ My ears caught the sound of Dr. Michaels rummaging around in the kitchen. I looked over at what he had pulled out; mushrooms, carrots, a green vegetable I don't think I had ever seen before, and some chicken. I walked over to the counter where he had all the ingredients spread out and said, "So, might I ask what you're making?" The old man stood up and held a large pot in his hands. "I'm making my great-grandmother's famous soup recipe that's been in my family for years. And I thought it'd be something nice to eat since the two of you have been under the weather the past few days." _Now would be the best time to ask him._ I had the words on the edge of my lips. "Dr. Michaels, I was wondering if….." For some reason I stopped speaking, and felt as though my stomach had done back flips.

The man turned to face me and said, "Yes, what is it?" I shook my head several times. "Uh, nothing." He cocked his eyebrow and looked at me for a few seconds, then went back to chopping the vegetables and dropping them into the pot. I walked into the living room, mentally beating myself up. _You idiot. You had the perfect chance to ask him. Why the hell did you chicken out?_ "Ok Shun, tell me what's up with you." I jumped and spun around to meet Alice's serious expression. I tried to play it cool, and attempted to speak calmly. "What do you mean what's been up with me?" She glared at me with her brown eyes.

"Shun, you know you're a horrible liar around me. Now tell me why you've been acting strange." I closed my eyes and sighed. "Ok. I'll tell you. Murucho's parents told us that we'd be going home tomorrow." Her whole demeanor changed, and when she spoke, it was softly and quiet. "You have to go?" I grabbed her hands and stared her right into her eyes. "Yes, unless it's ok with your grandfather if I stay here. But we have another problem. I'd have to convince my grandfather to let me stay as well. Alice, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you." She blinked a few times as if she were knocking away tears.

"Well, have you asked my grandfather yet?" I swallowed the lump in my throat that was making it difficult for me to speak. "Not yet. I almost did a few minutes ago, but I chickened out. I guess I was scared he'd say no." Alice placed her hand to her chin as if she were thinking how solve an impossible math problem. "I honestly think my grandfather wouldn't care if you stayed. I mean, I can tell he has taken kindly to you. But your grandfather is another story. That man is extremely stubborn and strict." She paused for a second. "We could always tell him you died or something like that." I stared at her as if she lost her mind.

"You want to tell my grandfather I died?" She shook her head and said, "Yeah. That's going a little far." I felt my eye twitch slightly. She paced back and forth around the living room several times. Alice eventually sighed and plopped down on the couch. "Well, I got nothing. You got any ideas Shun?" I looked at the red head and said, "Well one, but it doesn't involve me faking my death." She smiled sarcastically at me, and I just rolled my eyes. "The only thing we can do, is hope both of our grandfathers say yes." The two of us both turned our heads at the entrance to the kitchen and looked at Dr. Michaels, who was calling us in for dinner. Before we walked into the kitchen, Alice stopped me. "Shun, this is your chance to ask my grandfather if you can stay. You can't chicken out." I told her I knew what was at stake, and she kissed me on the cheek and glided into the kitchen.

_I just hope I've gotten on enough of Dr. Michaels good side._ Sitting on the kitchen table, were three bowls of soup, all steaming hot. I took my seat across from Alice and her grandfather. We had all almost finished the soup, when I decided to ask the elder man. "Dr. Michaels, I just wanted to thank you for letting me be a guest for this long. I'm sure if you wanted you could of kicked me out whenever you felt like it." The man sipped a spoonful of the soup and spoke, "It's no problem at all Shun. It's nice to have company every now and then, plus Alice has been happier than I've ever seen her." Alice's eyes were going back and forth between the two of us. "Well, I was just wanting to know….How long this recipe has been in the family?"

_Dammit! I chickened out!_ The man started giving the entire story of the soup, when I felt Alice kick me in my shin. "Ow!" The man stopped and looked at me. "Oh, I uh, bumped my knee on the table." Dr. Michaels nodded his head and continued talking. Alice was giving me a _Quit beating around the bush and get to the point already _look. When the man finished talking I pretended I was listening to what he had said. "Wow. That's a very interesting story Dr. Michaels, but I should probably ask you something I've been meaning to for a while." He had a puzzled look, then instructed me to speak.

"Well, Murucho's parents are leaving tomorrow, and the problem is I don't really want to go back. And I was wondering if perhaps I could stay here with you and Alice." The man didn't say anything. _That's not a good sign._ "I completely understand if you don't want me to stay or not, it's just, I don't think I could bare to be without Alice now. I mean, I love her." I saw Alice giving me a thumbs up, signaling that she was happy I finally spit the question out. The man smiled and said, "You are more than welcome to stay here Shun. Just don't do anything too stupid." Alice jumped up out of her seat and ran across to my side and hugged me around the neck. "Thank you so much grandfather for letting Shun stay!" I tried to thank him as well, but found it difficult to speak, considering Alice had me in something close to a sleeper hold. When she finally let me go, I properly thanked Dr. Michaels. "You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you." The man bowed slightly, and I did the same. _Now all I need to do is convince my grandfather….But that's easier said than done._

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><p>LOL! XD Who knew Alice had a slightly evil mind? :3 Well, I know this much about the next xhapter so far, there's gunna be a hell of an argument between Shun and his grandfather. Again, I am sorry for any errors and what not, but that is why we have the review thingy, so please make use of it. lol. Chapter 14 will be up tomorrow or later today (if i am in a creative mood). So like, review, add to favorites, and all that good stuff!<p> 


	14. Sometimes Sacrifices Are For The Best

_Shun_

After confirming with Dr. Michaels that I could stay with them instead of going back home with Dan and the others, I began calling my grandfather to get his input. _This is going to be a long conversation, and with an angry, very unhappy old man._ "Hello? Who is this? How did you get my house number?" I stopped him from talking. "Grandfather, it's me. I'm calling from Alice's house in Moscow." The man began his rant. "Shun! What are you doing in Moscow! I thought you said you were going that Khimiki town or whatever! And why are you at that girl's house!" _This went from bad to worse in less that two seconds. It's going to be more difficult to convince him than I thought. _"Grandfather can you please let me get a word in?" He stopped talking and allowed me to speak. "Thank you. The reason I'm in Moscow is because I got lost in the forest and ended up at Alice's place. But the reason I called is, I want to stay here with Alice and her grandfather."

It didn't take long for him to completely explode. "What! Have you lost your mind Shun! You haven't even completely half of your training!" I held the phone a good seven inches away from my ear so he wouldn't bust my eardrum. I started trying to speak over him on the phone, and soon the both of us were yelling. I had my hand clenched tightly on the phone, and felt my anger boiling more and more inside. "My word is final Shun! You are not staying with that girl!" I clenched my teeth and growled before slamming the phone back down on the receiver. I screamed out. _Why is that man so damn stubborn! God, I need to hit something now!_ I looked around and my eyes fell on the pillows placed on the couch. I went and punched the pillow without enough force that a few feathers flew out. I had never even noticed Alice standing in one of the doorways.

_Alice_

I had never seen Shun so angry before, and it made me worry. I wanted to go up to him and calm him down, but a little voice in my head kept telling me I should let him simmer down on his own. I backed out of the doorway and went down the hall towards my grandfather's study. His door was almost always unlocked, and this was no occasion. His study was filled with stacks and stacks of books, papers, and so forth. I sat in his chair and turned on his computer. The screensaver popped up and I logged on to the internet. _I'll check my email real quick then go and check on Shun. I'm sure he'll be calmed down by then._ My emails were mainly just Facebook notifications and spam messages.

After I deleted what wasn't of any importance to me, I shut down the computer and closed the door to the study. Before I even got back to the living room, I heard Shun on the phone again. _He must of called his grandfather back._ Just like it was a few minutes ago, I could hear the two of them yelling. "I don't give a crap if you want me to finish my training! Hell, you're the one that wanted me to train and never let me have a say in it!" I flinched as he slammed the phone back down again._ I need to talk to him._ I stepped into the room. "Shun, are you ok?" He only scowled at the phone. "Yeah. I'm fine Alice." His voice was flooding with aggravation and anger. "You want to go outside and get some air?" His fist hit the pillow that had now lost the majority of its feathers.

"I don't have time to go outside and get some air! I need to convince that stubborn old goat that I don't want to go back!" I shrunk back when he yelled. "You know, the way you said that kind of makes it seem like you're using me to get away from your problems." I didn't have to see Shun's face to know that his expression changed. His voice now wasn't as harsh and loud. "Alice that's not it and you know it." I felt Shun wrap his arms around me, and I looked up at him. "Alice, you know I love you. It's just my grandfather got me riled up. I didn't mean to yell at you…..Or take my anger out on those pillows." He pointed his chin in the direction of the couch, which was now covered with white feathers. I smiled and told him, "You're lucky I know how to sew." He chuckled and said, "You know what, maybe some fresh air is a good idea." I nodded and walked outside with Shun, hand in hand.

_Shun_

I really hadn't meant to snap at Alice, but my grandfather had gotten me so worked up that I was ready to take the head off of anything that moved. The cold late winter night felt good, since my argument got my blood boiling so much that my body temperature rose. Alice was staring up at the full moon that was placed in front of the night sky and said, "It's going to be spring soon. All the snow will start to melt and all the trees and flowers will bloom again." A huge gale of bone chilling wind blew past us, and sent chill bumps up both of our bodies. "Hey Alice, I think I've literally cooled down enough." She giggled and we headed back inside. "So Shun, are you going to try and talk to your grandfather again?" I looked at the phone, then back to Alice. "I'll try, but the minute he starts pissing me off again I'm hanging up so I don't get worked up again." She nodded and I punched in the number. It rang once….twice….and on the third time he picked up.

"If you're calling me about staying at that girl's house again, I don't want to hear it." I sighed. "Please grandfather. I want to be with her. If training is more important to you than me being happy, then I just don't know anymore." There was a long and suspenseful pause. "You really care about that girl, don't you?" I felt my hopes spark again and I said, "Yes! More than anything in the world." He cleared his throat and said in a calm voice, "Then fine. You can stay with her, but you are no longer considered part of this family." I nearly dropped the phone. "Wh-what! You can't just kick me out of the family!" "Well, you better choose then; your family, or that girl. Are you really willing to throw your entire family away just cause you think you're in love with her?" I said in my most serious tone, "I don't think I'm in love with her….Cause I AM in love with her. And I AM willing to give up my life to have a new life with Alice." I heard my grandfather huff and then say, "Well, so be it. But don't even think about coming back here. As far as I'm concerned, you don't exist to this family anymore. Good-bye Shun." I hung the phone when I heard the click on the other line. Alice walked up behind me and asked, "Well, are you able to stay?" _I don't want her to know about me getting kicked out of my family._ I walked up to her and kissed her on her lips. "I'm staying."

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><p>So, Shun got kicked out of his family to be with Alice...If that isn't love I don't know what is. XP Just let everyone know, I may not be able to upload a new chapter tomorrow cause I have a marching band thing and sadly band comes before fun. -.-'' Depending on how much time I have left before I go to bed, how much homework I have, and how tired I may be, will determine if I upload tomorrow. And for future references, I will probably not be uploading on Fridays unless it's a holiday because I march halftime shows for the band. : So, please review. Don't be shy! Tell me what you think! I will try my best to upload tomorrow. PEACE! X3


	15. Breakfast

_Shun_

I had left behind everything; my family, my home, and even my friends, all for Alice. _It's all worth it. It has to be._ It was extremely late at night, and most normal people were asleep, except for me. I was sitting in the windowsill, looking out at the full moon like I used to do when I was younger. It was even nights like this that I would sit on the roof of my grandfather's dojo and play my leaf whistle.I grinned slightly. _Well, seems like those days are over._ But slowly the grin disappeared from my face. I got up from the windowsill and slid the window open.

The air wasn't as cold as it had been, mainly because it would soon be spring, but it was still chilly enough to send chills up my arms. I brushed off my chills and jumped from the window and landed square on my feet. _Guess all that ninja training came in handy after all._ Standing upright, I let the cold wind blow around me. _I'll just walk around here for a little while then go back inside._ I walked over to the lab, that had been destroyed by an explosion about a week ago, and stopped. Something had caught my hearing towards the woods. _It sounds close to the edge of the forest, so there's no possible way I'll get lost this time._

The moon provided enough light for me to see the house behind me as I stepped over tree limbs and rocks that were on the ground. When I found the source of the noise, I was looking right at a creek. _I didn't notice this a week or so ago. _Looking right above the running water, I saw chunks of ice floating downstream. _Seems as though with the warmer weather the creek must of thawed out._ I stepped closer to the edge of the water when I heard a crack, and leaped backwards away from the water, just in time to watch a chunk of ice fall into the water. _Phew. That was close. Even if that water isn't deep, it's freezing cold. I should get away from here, cause there's no telling how wide this creek is._

Brushing the snow off of me, i headed back towards the house. Once back, I entered the same way I left. Kicking my shoes off, I fell back on my bed, still unable to get to sleep. I sighed and reached for my cellphone out of boredom. When I flipped the phone open, I was greeted with a text message from Dan. _Hey buddy! We heard about the falling out between you and your grandpa and Murucho wanted to let you know if you need anything to call._ I didn't bother replying to the text, mainly because it was sent hours ago, and closed my phone. Then I was blinded by a bright, orange light that was filtering through my window. _It's morning already? Damn, I didn't sleep any._ In the quiet house, I had heard Dr. Michaels' alarm clock ring. _I have yet to understand why old people wake up so fricking early._ In about ten minutes, I heard him crank up his car engine. _Now where is he going this early in the morning? I know it can't be an early bird breakfast buffet._ That's when I had a genius idea. I snuck quietly down the hall towards Alice's room and opened the door. _Good, she's still asleep._ I doubled checked by whispering her name quietly. _Yep, she's out cold._ I left her room and got to work.

_Alice_

My alarm rang like it did every morning, and I forced my groggy body to sit up. Looking out the window, I saw the sun glistening on the last bit of snow of the winter. _This is when it's most beautiful._ I got dressed and brushed my hair. Like every morning after I got ready, I headed to the kitchen to get something to eat, but stopped at Shun's room. His bed was empty and so was the rest of his room. _Where'd he go?_ I called out his name as I walked down the steps. "Hey Shun, where are you?" I stepped into the kitchen and saw several plates of food spread out on the counter, and Shun sleeping at the dinner table.

I looked at the food and Shun, then walked over to the sleeping ninja and shook his shoulder. He blinked open his eyes and slowly lifted his head from the table. "Shun, did you cook all this?" He nodded his head. "Uh yeah. I couldn't fall asleep and decided to make you and your grandfather some breakfast while I was up." I smiled and shook my head. "Well, you like you're sleeping fine now." He smiled and laid his head back on the table. I walked over to the food and got me a little bit of everything, and ate at the kitchen counter, since Shun was using the table as a bed. Suddenly my grandfather walked in through the door.

"It feels great outside! Morning Alice….Uh, why is he sleeping there?" I placed my finger to my lips and said, "Shh. Keep it down. He wore himself out making breakfast for us._" _My grandfather looked at Shun, shrugged, then fixed himself a plate. After my grandfather and I finished eating, I wrapped up the leftovers and stuck them in the fridge so Shun could have something to eat later. I followed my grandfather into his study and said, "So, where did you run off to this morning?" He smiled and pulled out of his pocket two plane tickets to Bay City.

"I got you and Shun those tickets to go visit your friends. But just to let you know they're only good till next month." I hugged the old man and thanked him. I ran back into the kitchen and saw Shun had woken up. "Hey Shun! My grandfather got us two tickets to Bay City to go visit Dan and the others!" He rubbed his eye and said in a sleepy tone, "That's great….Five more minutes." He laid his head down on the table again and I sweat dropped. _Sheesh. Well, I guess that's your basic teen guy. _

I mentally then saw a lightbulb pop on above my head and ran over to the fridge, and filled a cup up with ice water. I quietly cleaned off the table, then tossed the water on Shun. He screamed and shot straight up. "What the hell is going on!" He looked around the room with wide eyes, then finally looked at me. I stared back at him and said, "Time to get up sleeping beauty. We need our table back." He glared at me as water dripped off his hair. I only smiled as he got up, growling and mumbling. Once he was out of the room, I giggled, then wiped the water off the table and seats. _Alice, you're such an evil genius._

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><p>lol. poor Shun. XD I really had no rhyme or reason to write this, so it was mainly a fluffy, funny chapter leading up to another, then another, and so on. lol. i was also tired from school. English bores the hell outa me. -.-'' so like uh, comment, review, and other good stuff. XP i will try and upload tomorrow.<p> 


	16. Broken

_Shun_

The day was warmer than the previous ones, telling everyone it was a day closer to spring. It seemed odd to me without the fireplace burning, but there was no need for it to burn now with the changing climate. Everything was basically the same though. Alice was cleaning up around the house, Dr. Michaels had run off somewhere into town, and I was bored out of my mind as usual. With nothing more to do, I walked into the kitchen where Alice was cleaning off the countertops.

"Oh hey Shun. Listen, could you do me a favor and hand me the cleaner that's next to you?" I looked over to my right and saw the bottle of all purpose cleaner, and handed it to her. "Thanks Shun. So, what do ya need?" I stayed towards the doorway cause Alice had just mopped the floor. "Huh? Oh, I don't need anything. I just came in to see you and see if you needed any help." She tossed a rag that she had used for cleaning into a bucket, which was filled with maybe four more rags of the same condition.

"Aw. That was thoughtful of you, but I'm almost done now. I got an idea! How about when I finish up with the last bit of cleaning, we go and just walk around town?" I liked the idea of getting out of the house. "Sure. That sounds great." She told me it would be another fifteen minutes before she was done cleaning and was able to change clothes. I went up to my room and found my green jacket. _Wouldn't hurt to take it, even if it's not as cold as it used to be._ I swung my jacket around and put my arms through the sleeves, then checked my hair in the mirror. Decided it was a little too nappy to be in public, I found my comb and combed the stray hairs down.

When I looked like I hadn't just woken up, I walked down the stairs and saw Alice was still cleaning up a little more. I called out to her from the living room, "Hey Alice! I'm gunna go ahead and let the car warm up!" She called back, "Ok! I'll be out in a few minutes!" Grabbing the car keys, I opened the door and stepped off into the little bit of snow that covered the ground. _This won't be here much longer._ I got to the car and put the key into the ignition, then cranked the car up. _I'll let the car warm up and wait out here for Alice._

It only took about five minutes before Alice came running outside from the house. She had taken her hair out of the ponytail she had been wearing while cleaning, so now it was completely down. She had also changed into her purple dress with her yellowish jacket on over it. "You ready to go Alice?" She nodded. We both climbed into the car, and I put it in reverse. While going down the driveway I asked her, "So, anywhere particular you wanna go?" She thought for a minute and said, "How bout a movie and then we can go this great little coffee shop a little ways down from the theater." I turned onto the interstate and told her, "Sounds like a plan to me."

_Alice_

I had to tell Shun the directions to the theater, but I didn't mind, even if he had taken a few wrong turns here and there. Going down the streets in late winter was always something I enjoyed doing, and although Moscow is a fairly large city, I lived in a more rural area of the city. "There's the theater Shun." I pointed to the old building that had been there since the early 1900s, and Shun pulled the car onto the side of the road where several other cars had been parked.

Once out of the car, we both stared up at the list of movies that were placed a sign above the entrance. "So Alice, what do you wanna see?" I scanned through the list and said, "How about that new Fright Night movie?" Shun looked at me kind of surprised. _I guess he thought I'd pick some romance movie._ He shrugged and the two of us walked up to the cashier. Shun got our two tickets for the movie, and we walked through the doors into the theater. "You want anything from the snack counter, Alice?" I shook my head and said, "Nah. I ate a little bit before we left, but if you want something you can get some and I'll wait in the theater." He told me he didn't want anything either and we walked towards our theater.

_Shun_

Two hours later the movie ended and once out of the theater, my eyes had issues adjusting to the sudden light. Alice stretched her arms then said, "That coffee shop I was talking about is right across the street." I followed her pointed finger to this small building with a coffee cup sign hanging above the door. I told her, "It looks like a nice place." She smiled and said, "It is, and they have the best hot chocolate I've ever had." We checked the street for oncoming traffic, then dashed across the street to the little shop. We were right at the door when I thought of something.

"Oh crap, I left the rest of my money in the car. I'll be right back in a second." I ran back across from the street and unlocked the car. I saw Alice standing outside the coffee shop from the corner of my eye. "Leave me alone!" I quickly turned around and saw three guys surrounding Alice. They had her trapped against the brick wall, with no chance of escape. I growled and darted across the street, leaving the car completely open, and landed a punch to the back of one of the guy's heads. He fell to the ground and his buddies turned and face me. The three were obviously drunk as hell, and that meant they were even more dangerous. The three all came after me, and using what training I had received from my grandfather, I fought them off with the best of my abilities, but all it took was one of them to pin me down.

One of them were laughing and said, "Ha. Mr. Hero ain't so tough now are ya!" I felt one of them kick me in the side and knock the wind out of me. "Stop it! Leave him alone!" I saw Alice hitting one of the guys in the back, and he turned around and held her by her wrists. "How bout you shut up and he doesn't get hurt." I was still trying to get my breath back when I heard police sirens in the distance. _Good, somebody called the cops._ The three drunks heard them as well, then fled. Alice ran over to my side. "Shun! Oh my god are you ok?" My breathing was finally back to normal, but my side felt as though a knife was stuck in it.

"Yeah…..I'm fine…..More importantly…..Are you ok?" She nodded and helped me sit up straight. The cops arrived shortly after. "Is everyone alright? We got a call from somebody saying there was some trouble down here." Alice explained to the officer what happened, and then he looked at me. "Kid, I'd hate to tell you this, but that was a dumb thing to do trying to stand up against three drunks. They could of done a lot worse to you than just kick you a few times. Speaking of which, we should probably check and see if you have anything broken."

I didn't say a word as the medic checked my sides for broken ribs or internal bleeding. _That cop was right. While they had me down, there's no telling what they could of done. To me or Alice._ I was given a clean bill of health and was told that I'd have some bruises and aches for the next few days. The police were kind enough to give us a ride back to the house, while another officer drove the car behind us. Yet again, I was quiet. Alice looked at me and whispered, "Shun, are you sure you're ok?" I saw the officer look back at me in his mirror, then look away. Alice asked me her question again, and I didn't answer. When they drove up the driveway, Dr. Michaels was standing outside.

We got out of the car and Alice ran up to her grandfather and hugged him. "I was told everything! Are you two ok!" _What if this happened again? What if they had pulled a gun when I was pinned down? I should have been able to beat them easily. Why couldn't I? Was I scared?…Or what if I wasn't strong enough? _"Shun." I looked up at Alice and her grandfather, who both looked ultimately concerned. "Shun, you've been quiet the whole trip back. It's making me worry." I had been quiet for so long, that I found it stressful to speak. "I'm just tired. I think I'm gunna go lay down for a while."

I kept my eyes to the ground and had my hair cover my eyes and part of my nose as I headed for the door to enter the house, when Alice grabbed my arm. I turned and looked at her. "Shun, this isn't like you. Please tell me what's wrong with you." My voice was low and somber. "I couldn't keep you safe…..If somebody hadn't called the cops, there's no telling what they would of done…..Then they beat me down like a dog and….I just feel broken…." I turned and walked into the house, then up to my room and laid down on my bed, staring out the window into the moonless sky.

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><p>OMG! IMMMM BAAAAACK! lol. So, Shun's spirit has been broken. o.O Seems like Alice has to find a way to cheer him up now. And i already have an idea for it. XP im sorry for no upload thursday, i had to go to walmart and stuffs then i had to write an essay. -.-'' lol. and i just reached the max ammount of documents. i feel so accomplished now. XP lol. so like read, review, and all ofther good stuffs.<p> 


	17. Hopes and Dreams

_Alice_

Shun never came down from his room the next day, not even for breakfast or lunch, and it was slowly approaching dinner time. "Alice, maybe you should go check on him again." I nodded and walked up the stairs. I had checked on Shun about an hour or so ago, and he was sleeping then. Slowly pushing the door open to hid room, I poked my head inside, and saw him in the same position he was in last time I checked on him. "Shun? You awake?"

He didn't say anything or move, so I quietly walked over to the side of his bed. His eyes were closed, and his breathing slow. My eyes went down his back and saw where his shirt had rolled up, revealing the bruises from where he was repeatedly kicked by the three drunks yesterday. _Shun….._I then reached down and pulled his covers up to his shoulders, then left his room. My grandfather was setting the kitchen table when he said, "So, is Shun awake?" I shook my head then spoke, "No, he isn't. Grandfather, I'm really worried about him. What should I do?" My grandfather put the third plate he had gotten out, back in the cabinets.

"I don't know Alice. It should be up to you on what to do the help Shun." I sat down at my seat at the table, then rapidly stood up. "I've got it! We can use those plane tickets you bought us and go see Dan and the others! I'm sure that'll cheer him up!" My grandfather smiled, then placed our dinner on our plates. "That's a good idea, Alice." The two of us finished our meals, and I fixed another plate. "Didn't you eat enough?" I laughed and told my grandfather, "I did, this is for Shun if he wants some for later." He nodded his head while sipping some tea and reading a magazine. I walked over to the sink and turned the water on, the placed the dirty dishes under the faucet and began washing them. _I think I'll tell Shun about my idea tomorrow. Yeah…That's what I'll do._

_Shun_

I was back at the theater again, and saw Alice across the street waving at me. I waved back at her, then saw three shadowed figures creep up behind her. "Alice! Look out!" One of them placed his hand over her mouth and muffled her screams. I ran across the street to help her, but I was blindsided by another one of the figures. I was left laying on the ground as they ran off into the ally with Alice. My body then shot up and found myself in the room I was given by Dr. Michaels. _It was just a dream. It was just a dream._ My breathing was short and frantic, and I felt myself sweating and my hands shaking. I looked around the room to make sure this was really where I was, and not somewhere else. I had to get a grip on myself.

I wrapped my arms arm myself and took in slow, deep breaths. _It was only a dream. No matter how real it seemed. It was only a dream._ I was no longer shaking as badly as I was when I abruptly woke up. My heart felt as though it were about to burst from my chest. _I have to calm down. Maybe some warm milk or tea will help._ I stood up, and felt how shaky my legs were, and stumbled out of my room. All the lights in the house were off except the light from the ice and water dispenser on the fridge. Once in the kitchen I opened the door to the fridge, and saw they were out of milk. I sighed. _Where do they keep the tea?_ I eventually found the box with the tea bags in them and put a pot of water on boil, then dropped the bags into the bubbling water.

The sound of it was relaxing me alone. Once it had boiled long enough, I poured the tea into a cup, then sat at the table and sipped the drink. I always like the way hot tea warmed me inside. "Shun?" I looked up from my cup and saw Alice standing in the doorway in her light purple pajamas. "Alice, what are you doing up?" She sat down across from me and said, "I heard something going on down her in the kitchen and went to see what it was. What are you doing up?" I took another sip of my tea and placed it in front of my on the table. When I replied to her, I stared as the tea slowly stopped jostling around. "I uh, kind of had a bad dream I guess. And decided to fix myself something to drink to help me calm down. I'm sorry if I woke you up."

She waved her hand and said, "Don't worry about it. You didn't wake me up. I was partially awake anyway…Shun….Was your dream about what happened yesterday?" I looked up at her with my eyes, but kept my head slightly down. "Yeah….It was…But a lot worse than what actually happened." Alice gently placed her hand on mine and said, "Shun, you didn't fail. You know that right? You kept me safe and from getting hurt. And don't think just cause those guys got a few lucky hits on you means that you weren't strong enough. You were outnumbered anyway, and I think you held your own pretty good."

_Yeah. I guess she's right._ Alice continued talking. "How about we use those two plane tickets my grandfather got us? That way we get to see all of our friends and get to just get out of town for a week or so." My voice was still soft and quiet as I responded. "That sounds like a good idea. Shouldn't we call Dan or Murucho and let them know we're coming?" She put her finger to her chin and said, "Hmmm. That is a good point. I'll call them up tomorrow." We sat there for a few minutes when I felt my eyes getting heavy with sleep. "Are you getting tired, Shun?" I covered a yawn with my hand and said slowly, "Yeah I am. I think I'm gunna go on back to sleep." I stood up and walked towards the door, but stopped. "Hey, Alice." She had just gotten out of her seat and said, "Yes, Shun?" I turned my head and looked at her, then smiled. "Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

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><p>Aw! X3 how sweet! lol. Alice was pretty good at reassuring Shun that he didnt fail. but i dont know how Shun can drink tea hot and without sugar though. -.-'' lol Beh. I just realized it was Sunday! DX Oh well, tomorrow's upload will be later cause of school...Unless the school catches on fire. hehehehe. lol. nah. i wouldnt do that. lol. well, review and other stuffs. XP<p> 


	18. We're Flying Worldwide

_Shun_

"Hurry up Shun! Or we'll miss our flight!" I yelled back at Alice, "I'm almost done packing! I'm just making sure I'm not leaving anything!" Alice and I decided to cash in those two plane tickets to go see Dan and the others, and were stuffing our last few belongings in our luggage bags. _This is the only thing I hate about traveling._ Once I was a hundred percent sure I had everything I needed, I tossed my bag over my shoulder and climbed into the backseat of Dr. Michaels' and sat next to Alice.

"Thank you so much for driving us to the airport grandfather." The man turned the engine on and drove out of the driveway. "It's no problem Alice. By the way, you two don't do anything stupid, and you know what I mean." We both looked at the old man, and then each other. Both me and Alice were blushing. "Uh, we won't Dr. Michaels." He nodded his head and said, "Good. Oh look, we're are at the airport already." The airport, just like this part of Moscow, was small and looked like it was built from the last century. We loaded our bags onto a luggage cart, and said our good-byes to Dr. Michaels. I looked at the plane ticket, then the flight schedule.

"Ok Alice, we have twenty minutes before our plane takes off. Alice? _Alice?_" I turned around and saw Alice looking at a souvenir stand. I sighed and walked up behind her. "Did you hear what I said?" She turned around and said, "Something about the plane?" I sighed again. "I said we have about twenty minutes till our plane takes off. So we better find our gate." We eventually found our gate, with five minutes to spare. "Come on Alice. It won't kill us to sit on the plane for five minutes while they prepare for take off." We placed our bags in the overhead compartments, then found our seats. The flight cabin was nice for a commercial liner.

The intercom then turned on. "This is your pilot speaking. We will be taking off in a few minutes, so please bare with us." I looked at Alice, who was sitting next to the window, and saw she looked uneasy. "You okay?" Her voice was shaky. "I have never really liked flying that much. Even when we were flying in Murucho's jet I was scared." I stood up and said, "Do you want me to sit in the window seat if it makes you feel any better?" She quickly nodded and took my previous seat, while I took hers. "Feeling better?" She looked around.

"A little. At least I don't have to see how high up we are." The pilot then came back on the intercom. "We are now taking off. S sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight." The plane's engines shrieked as they began to turn on, and the plane began moving down the runway. Once we were off the runway and into the air, I noticed Alice had her hands over her ears. "What are you doing?" She looked at me and said, "My ears popped." I laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "You'll live. Look, they're bringing out the snacks and putting on the movie." As with most airliners, the snacks were your choice of a drink, and peanuts, and the movie was unknown by most of the people. We finished our snack and drink, and soon the movie was replaced with another. _I wonder how much longer we'll be till we arrive at Bay City._ I glanced out the window and saw the sun setting off in the distance. _It'll be dark when we get there. _Alice had leaned her chair back slightly and fallen asleep.

_For someone who was freaking out before we took off, she looks fairly calm now._ I was getting tired as well, and leaned my head against the window. I was soon woken up by the intercom. "Good evening passengers, this is your pilot again. We will be landing shortly in Bay City so brace yourself for the landing. And thank you for flying with us." People began moving around, and preparing to get grab their luggage. I tapped Alice's shoulder. "Alice, wake up. We're gunna be landing soon." She sat up straight and yawned. "God this seat is killing my back." She arched her back and I heard it pop several times. The landing was smooth, and once we were given the ok to retrieve our bags, we opened the overhead compartment and pulled out the luggage that belonged to us.

We maneuvered our way through the masses of people leaving and arriving in the airport, and found the exit. And standing outside, was Kato holding a sigh with our names on it. I waved at him. "Hey Kato! Over here!" He waved back and opened the door to the limo for us. We thanked him and climbed in. "So, how was your flight?" Alice said grumpily, "It was ok…If you like being a human question mark." We all laughed and drove up to Murucho's mansion. Kato said, "You two go on in, and I'll get your bags." We thanked him and walked through the doors to be greeted by everyone. Dan ran up to us first.

"Hey it's about time you guys showed up!" Runo and Julie then appeared behind him, and Alice began chatting with them. Rafe and Paige were there, along with Jake, but Fabia was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Murucho, has Fabia gone back to Neathia?" Murucho pushed his glasses back up on his nose and said, "Yeah. She left about a week ago." _Good. She's gone, and hope she's happy. _We all just sat around talking, before finally retiring to our rooms around midnight. Alice's guest room was right across from mine, and we stood in the hallway talking. "I'm happy we came here today Alice. Goodnight. I love you." I kissed her and smiled. "Love you too, Shun. Night." We both retired to our rooms.

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><p>Lol. yes i named the chapter after the song Worldwide by Big Time Rush. XP It was either that or Come Fly With Me by The Jonas Brothers. o.O iI wasnt very creative with chapters today. XD lol. well, review and stuffs. Byes for nows! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	19. Falling

_Shun_

I felt my body lurch from my bed, and my heart racing. I had that same dream again, and I doubted a cup of tea would of calmed me down this time. _Why do I keep having these dreams! What's wrong with me!_ I was pouring sweat and shaking frantically. _Calm down. Calm down. Remember what Alice told you, you didn't fail. But if I didn't fail then why do I keep having that dream?_ I wiped the sweat from my forehead and noticed that I felt a little warm. _It's probably from the dream. I don't think it's uncommon for your body temperature to increase during a nightmare. Specially one like this._ I laid back down in my bed, but still felt my hands quivering.

I grabbed both my wrists and tried to hold them still, but it didn't help much. The rest of the night, I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to fall asleep due to my dream. My was heart still pounding, my hands were still shaking, and my head was still pouring sweat. _What's wrong with me? I should of calmed down by now. Hell, it's been three hours and I still feel the same way I did when I woke up._

I sat up and stood on my shaking legs, then headed for my bathroom. _I'll wet a washcloth with cold water, maybe that will cool me down._ I squinted my eyes when I flipped the light on, and reached into the cabinet for a rag. Once at the sink, I turned the water to cold and soaked the rag. It was then that I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes looked like they were bruised and they were also tinted red, and my skin looked pale. _This can't possibly be from that dream. Something's wrong with me._ That was when the room felt as if it were spinning, and I grabbed on to the bathroom counter. After a few seconds of holding myself up, I felt my body collapse and hit the floor.

_Alice_

I had gotten the best sleep in days, but it may have been because all the mattresses in Murucho's mansion were filled with that memory foam stuff. After only being awake for a few seconds, I already smelled Kato cooking breakfast. _That smells wonderful. I'll go ahead and get ready then head downstairs. I'm sure Shun's already down there by now._ I quickly slipped on one of my purple dresses and headed for the dining area. Runo saw me walk through the door and waved at me. "Hey Alice! Come sit down here with me and Julie!" I ran towards the empty seat next to my two friends, but as I ran down there, I noticed Shun wasn't at his seat. I slowed down and stopped at my chair. Runo looked at me and said, "Alice, what's wrong?" I ignored Runo and directed my attention towards Dan. "Dan, where's Shun?" The brunette shrugged and said, "I don't know. He might still be sleeping. Although I've never known him to sleep in this late."

_Something's wrong. I don't know how, but I can feel it._ Murucho tried to assure me that Shun was ok and probably just tired from yesterday's flight, but I darted ran towards the door anyway. I heard footsteps running behind me and turned around to see Dan, Murucho, and Jake following me. Dan ran up closer to me and grabbed my wrist. "Alice, chill!" I was pulled to a stop, but was tugging and trying to escape Dan's grip. "Dan, let me go! Something's wrong with Shun! I can just tell!" Dan stared at me.

"Alice, if it calms you down, we'll go see if Shun's ok. But when we go in his room and see he's still asleep, we tried to tell you." _They don't believe me. They'll be the ones who are embarrassed soon._ We all ran up to Shun's room and opened the door. Dan said smartly, "See I told you- Where's Shun?" _I told you._ The three boys looked around the room, and when I glanced in the bathroom, I saw Shun lying on the floor. "Shun!" I knelt by his side and shook his shoulder. "Shun! Shun get up!" Dan and Jake run up next to me and helped drag him out of the bathroom and into his room. In the light, he looked deathly ill. Murucho then pulled out his iPhone and said, "You guys try and wake him up! I'll get an ambulance here as fast as possible."

Dan and I were constantly shaking Shun's shoulder, while Jake was freaking out. I then saw Shun's eyes open slightly. They looked distant and lost. "Shun!" He turned his head weakly towards me. "Shun! What happened!" His voice wavered as he spoke. "My side….My side hurts…." He groaned as I quickly rolled his shirt up. The small bruises that were scattered along his side, were now replaced with this huge black and blue spot that covered his side. _He's bleeding internally. But those medics said there wasn't any bleeding._

A loud bang then sounded throughout the room, and two men with a stretcher busted into the room. They forced me and Dan out of the way and then loaded Shun onto the stretcher. One of them stayed behind and asked me, "Do you know what happened here?" I nodded and said quickly, "Yeah. Almost two days ago we were attacked by these two drunks and they had kicked him in the side a few times, but the medics said there wasn't any internal bleeding.

But I was his side and it's swollen and turning black and blue." The man wrote down the information I gave him, then thanked me and left the room. I hurried down to where they were loading Shun into the ambulance. People were already gathered around the streets and mumbling about what was going on. The sirens then blared and soon the ambulance was gone. Murucho then whistled with his fingers at us and said, "I got Kato to pull the limo around! Come on, we're gunna follow them!" We all piled into the limo and drove off after the ambulance._ Please be ok. Please be ok._

_Shun_

Everything was blurred and muffled, but all I knew was that I was in some kind of building, and I was moving fast. I looked up at the ceiling and saw blurry rectangles going past me. _Lights. Ceiling lights._ My ears only caught parts of what the people around me were saying. Something about _Critical…._and _Urgent…_I placed my hand on my side, which was throbbing and seemed to be the source of my pain. I then heard something like if you busted through a door, and then was blinded by a bright light. Once the light was gone, I could make out the shapes of people through my blurry vision. One put something on my face and said, "I want you to count backwards from 100, to 1." _100...99.…98.…..97.….._ I was then knocked out.

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><p>O.O It always seems I can't help but write something bad happening. o.o Well, it IS Shun, and he hasn't had the best good luck streak in the past. Besides, everything is connected in a way. BTW, fair warning to my faithful readers for whom put up with waiting for my slow self to upload, there will be NO upload Friday! I will be at an away football game with the band. So, read, review, add, and alllllll that good stuff. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	20. Song Lyrics

_Alice_

I paced back and forth in the waiting area of the hospital Shun had been rushed to early that morning. "Alice, why don't you sit down for a few minutes? You're tiring me out and I'm just watching you." I turned and looked at Dan, then sighed. "You're right, Dan. Me walking back and forth isn't going to help Shun." I sat in the chair across from Dan and the others. Runo walked over and sat in the chair to my right. "Alice, Shun's going to be ok. You just got to think positive about this." I did a small smile and said, "Thanks, Runo. That was good advice." A man then walked into the waiting area and said, "Are you with Shun Kazami?"

I quickly stood up and replied, "Is he ok! Can we see him!" The man took a step back, and Dan grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a seat. "Chill, Alice." I apologized to the doctor and let him continue to speak. "We had to rush him into emergency surgery to repair the bleeding and while we were operating we saw that his kidneys were damaged as well, but all that has been taken care of and he's in recovery right now." I shifted around in my seat before saying, "Can we see him?" The doctor nodded his head and said, "I left from his room about ten minutes ago, and he was awake when I left. Just to let you know, there can only be one visitor in the room at a time."

The others all looked at me, then Dan spoke. "You should be the first to see Shun." I nodded and followed the doctor down the hallway to Shun's room. I opened the door and saw Shun laid in a hospital bed. "Shun, you awake?" He opened his eyes and looked over at me. "Hey, Alice. I'm in pretty bad shape, aren't I?" I smiled and sat at the foot of his bed. "So, what all did they say?" He repositioned himself, and cringed as he moved. "They told me how when those drunks kicked me they severed a small artery, that was the reason it took a few days for the bleeding to get this bad. Then there's the whole deal with my kidneys being damaged. They told me if I hadn't of been brought here when I was, then there's no telling what shape I'd be in." It was then that I realized how badly this whole thing could of ended for Shun. "Well, before visiting hours are up, I think I'll let the others come in and visit you for a while." He nodded as I walked out of his room and went back to the waiting area to tell the others they could see him.

_Shun_

After seeing all of my friends and Alice for a few minutes, visiting hours finally ended, and the hospital floor fell quiet. I grabbed my side where I'd have a scar from the surgery in the future and sighed. Even though I was given pain medicine, the surgery incision still hurt and burned. It seemed odd for me to not be in a room near Alice, since for almost a month we had been with each other nearly every hour of the day. _You'll only be in the hospital a week or so Shun. You can survive. Besides, I know Alice and the others are going to visit as often as they can._

Unlike in the hospital Alice and her grandfather were in after the lab explosion, this room had no TV, and only one little chair. I sighed again, already feeling the boredom creeping up on me. I then remembered that my grandfather's dojo was about a mile or two from the hospital, and I thought about getting Murucho to send Kato to retrieve some of my belongings. _No, there's no need for me to trouble them anymore than I already have._ The room was just too quiet, and it began to bother me. I wanted Alice by my side to keep me company, and break this silence. I looked over on the rolling table cart thing, and noticed a notepad and a pen. _It's been a while since I've written song lyrics. I can pass the time though just jotting down some._ I reached for the pad and pen, and began writing.

_Alice_

I woke up that morning, and got dressed. Unlike yesterday, I wasn't running around full of energy. I felt tired, and sluggish. It was because I was still worried about Shun. Even though he looked a lot better than when he was rushed to the hospital yesterday, I could still see he wasn't well. I walked into the dinner hall, and saw everyone had a similar expression on their faces.

_They're all worried about Shun like I am._ Kato placed a dish on the table, then faced me. "Ms. Alice, do you want me to drive you up to the hospital and see Master Shun?" _I really want to see Shun._ I nodded and he told me he'd be waiting for me around front. I grabbed my purse and got in the limo. The drive was eerily quiet, unlike last night when it was mass chaos. I got out of the limo and thanked Kato for driving me, then I entered the hospital. Retracing my steps from last night, I easily found Shun's room. I entered, and saw him sleeping. My eyes then fell on a notepad with words in blue ink written on it. I picked up the notepad and read what was written.

_On these cold nights, _

_All I crave is your embrace._

_To wrap me tight,_

_Your arms covered in lace._

_It's hard to see,_

_Just how lonely I can be._

_On these cold nights._

I put the note down, and wiped a tear from my eyes. I leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on Shun's lips. His eyes then opened, and then focused on me. "Alice? When'd you get here?" I smiled and said, "A few minutes ago. I didn't know you wrote poetry." He looked at me with a confused expression, then I pointed to the notepad. "Oh. Well, they were supposed to be song lyrics, but I haven't written in so long, so they aren't as good as some others I've written." I felt slow for calling it poetry. _But song lyrics are in a way, like poetry. Depending on how you look at it._ I smiled and told him, "Well, you may say they aren't good, but I liked it. I thought it was nice." He returned my smiled and said, "Thanks for the compliment. Oh! They said I might be able to leave tomorrow." _Already?_ I told him that was wonderful. I sat in the hospital room and talked with Shun until visiting hours ended.

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><p>-yawns- omg. -.-'' im so tired. -falls asleep- lol. i was almost experiencing writers block, but during writing this chapter i envsioned a few more, then a sequal. i was just wondering if ya'll would prefer a sequal where Shun and Alice go back to Moscow, but move out from Dr. Michaels' place and they end up having a baby. Just give me a yes or no in the reviews if you think i should try that out. so, reviews and stuff. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	21. Through The Broken Looking Glass

_Shun_

I was finally released from the hospital the next day, and was happy to be out of there. Alice was sitting next to me in the limo has Kato drove back to Murucho's place, but not many words were exchanged. She had told me how happy she was now that I was out of the hospital, but that was about it. _What's up with her? She'd naturally be jumping around with joy._ _But all she's doing is staring out of that window._ I looked at her from the corner of my eye, wondering why she was being so reserved. "Alice?" She turned and looked at me. "Huh? Oh. What is it Shun?" _She said that so plainly. Like she hadn't even realized I was sitting here._

I shrugged then said, "Uh, nothing. I forgot." She turned back towards the window, almost like she had never acknowledged me. _What is going on with her?_ I wanted to ask what her problem was, but decided to wait till later to confront her. When we pulled up to Murucho's mansion, she didn't even wait for Kato to open her door, and she walked on inside. _It almost looked like she was hurrying to get out of the car….No, quit thinking like that Shun. Maybe she just had a bad day._ I walked inside and Julie appeared out of nowhere and hugged my neck. "Yay! Shun's back! We're so happy you didn't die!"

I pulled away from the silver haired girl and straightened my shirt back. "Uh, glad to know you were worried about me dying." She stuck both of her thumbs up and skipped off. _Something is seriously wrong with that girl….._I walked over to Dan and said, "Hey Dan, could we talk somewhere private? I need to ask you something about Alice." Dan looked as if he was frozen, and I saw the color disappear from his face. "Uh, ye-yeah. Su-sure Shun." I cocked my eyebrow at my suddenly freaked out friend, but ignored him and walked up to my room to set my things Alice brought me during my stay at the hospital. I glanced at her guest room, which was right across from mine, and saw the door was half open. I looked inside and saw Alice sitting on her bed reading a book and listening to her iPod.

_I shouldn't bother her while she's reading._ _But I want to know why she's been alienating me._ I stepped away from the door, and walked into my room after deciding I wasn't going to disturb her. I placed everything back in it's place, then left to find Dan. After asking a few people where he ran off to, I finally located him outside of the building. "Dan! Over here!" He turned around, and I noticed he was sweating, and that he gulped. _He's acting like he's guilty of something._ "So, uh Shun. Wh-what was it you wa-wanted to t-talk about?" I stared at him again and said, "I wanted to know if you knew why Alice has been acting like I don't exist." Dan then fell to his knees and said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for anything to happen! Please don't hurt me!"

My eyes were wide at his sudden spaz attack. "Dan, chill! What the hell are you talking about!" He looked up at me and I saw tons of guilt in his eyes. "I made out with Alice!" I felt rage burn up inside of me, and if I hadn't had any training from my grandfather, I would of probably beat the fool out of Dan. "You did what!" He flinched back and said shakily, "I didn't mean for it to happen! She was sad about you being in the hospital and stuff like that and I was trying to cheer her up and for some reason the two of us kissed! I'm so sorry Shun!"

I glared at the brunette, who was still on his knees shaking in fear. _You better be shaking Dan._ Dan then stood up and took a step or two away from me. _He should know that my strike range is further than that._ "I'm sure the kiss is the reason Alice is avoiding you. She's just as guilt-stricken as I am. Imagine how it was for me when I told Runo! Do you see the bruise on my arm?" He pointed to a huge blue and black spot on his arm where Runo hit him at. I told him flatly, "You deserved that bruise. You know that right?"

Dan looked down at the ground and said, "Shun, I'm sorry. Please try and understand that neither me, or Alice, meant for that to happen. It was completely accidental. If anything, don't get mad at her. In fact, if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you hit me in the face one time. And as hard as you ca-" I connected my fist to the brunettes face and knocked the goggles off of his head. He then fell to the concrete sidewalk. "Ow! You could of let me prepare for that!" I growled as he rubbed his newly made bruise that was courtesy of me.

I stuck my fists in my pockets to refrain from hitting anything else as I walked back into the building. _How could Dan do something like this? More importantly, how could Alice do something like this to me? Even if it was on accident, it was still wrong. And if Alice wants to continue to alienate me, then so be it. I'll return the favor, and won't acknowledge her until she comes up to me and says she kissed Dan. Even if I already know._ I had passed the others as I walked back inside, and heard their reactions when Dan walked in behind me. I heard Murucho say, "Dan! What happened!" Dan replied with, "I uh, fell." _Yeah. "Fell."_

I stormed up back into my room, glaring at Alice's before I entered. I closed the door behind me and locked the latch. _I really don't want to be bothered._ I stepped into the bathroom and turned the sink on to wash my face. I splashed the water to my face, then looked at myself in the mirror. Unlike a few days ago, instead of looking sickly, I looked almost like an animal. _A seriously pissed off animal._ I clenched my fist, then felt something jab into my hand. I had shattered the mirror with a punch.

I pulled my hand away and stared at the shards of glass that were still embedded inside, then I watched the blood trickle out of the wounds. The pain finally hit me, and I reached for a towel to absorb the blood.I was breathing in sharp and quick breaths of air as the pain pulsed in my hand. In only a matter of minutes, the white towel had turned into a bright red one. _I'll bandaged my hand up once it stops bleeding._ I grabbed a fresh towel and went into my bedroom area and sat on my bed. I then felt a tear roll of my cheek, and saw the little wet spot it left on my shirt. I didn't know if it was from the gashes in my hand, or the whole fact that I couldn't even trust my best friend or my girlfriend.

_Dan_

Runo handed me and zip-lock filled with ice, and I placed it on my face where Shun hit me. "I can't believe Shun punched you." I looked at Runo and told her, "Well, I let him, and I guess I kind of deserved it….Maybe not that hard though." The room suddenly fell quiet, and I saw Shun standing in the doorway with a towel soaked with blood wrapped around his hand. I stood up and said in a shocked tone, "Shun! What happened to your hand!" He glared at me, and I heard the growl and anger in his voice.

"None of your concern, Dan. Murucho, can you get Kato to tape up my hand?" Murucho didn't argue with Shun, and immediately called Kato into the room. The two of them left into another room, but it still remained quiet. _I wonder what he did….._"Holy shit! He killed Alice!" Runo walked up behind me and hit me in the back of the head. "Don't be such and idiot Dan!" I rubbed the new bump on the back of my head. _I really need to keep my mouth shut._ Shun returned into the room after ten or fifteen minutes, and hand a bandage wrapped around his hand, and I could already see the blood seeping through the bandages. He glared at me as he walked back towards his room. _It's gunna be a looooong night…_

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><p>OMG WATCH OUT! TWIST IN THE STORY! XD lol. people, dont be mad that Dan kissed Alice, it really was completely accidental. o.o besides, Dan has kind of always been there for Alice. :p also seems as though Shun's finally dug into all those years of anger and took it out on Dan and that poor mirror. o.o lol. since i had somebody say yes for the sequal, i will start on it as soon as i finish this one. and there may be a death notebakugan cross-over in the future for those death note fans out there. XP there won't be an upload tomorrow as i said a few days ago, but there should be an upload saturday unless something comes up. well, read, review, and other good things. XP ~Copperpelt~


	22. Lavender Silk

_Alice_

I stayed in my room that morning, just thinking about what happened between Dan and I, and how badly Shun would take the news. I placed the book that I had just been holding to make it appear I was busy reading if anyone came into my room, and set it on the nightstand. I sighed. _The best thing now is to get this whole deal off my chest and just tell Shun the truth._ I stood up and opened my door. Shun's door was closed, and I walked across the hall and slowly, and quietly, moved the doorknob.

_It's locked….This isn't like Shun to lock his door._ I knocked lightly on the door. _No answer…_I began walking away from the door when I heard a click. I turned around and saw Shun step out from his room. _Shun….._The air in the hallway turned dense between the two of us. He looked towards me, and it took all of my being to not run off into my room again. _No! I need to face him! It's the right thing to do…._ "Shun, I need to tell you something. I ki-" I suddenly felt Shun's lips on mine. I knew I was wide eyed when he pulled away.

"Sh-Shun?" His voice was soft, and he sighed and said, "I know you and Dan kissed. He told me yesterday." _He knows I kissed Dan…..I don't know if that makes it easier or more difficult to face him….There's no telling how he reacted when Dan told him either._ "Shun, I'm really sorry. I was worried about you and needed somebody to lean on and Dan has always been there for me like a brother." Shun wrapped his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck and placed my head on his chest. "I know Alice. I wasn't to thrilled about it when I first found out though.

You can ask Dan about that. But after I calmed down and thought for a while, I was just more scared that I may of lost you. And couldn't bare to lose you, Alice." We were still wrapped around each other when I noticed Shun's hand. "Shun, what happened to your hand?" He leaned back some and brought his hand up some. I saw the bandages, and where small dots of blood had dried. "Oh…This….I was pretty mad still and ended up punching the mirror in my bathroom…..Hurt like hell."

I looked at his injured hand a little bit longer. _In a way, I did this. If I hadn't of kissed Dan, then Shun wouldn't of gotten mad enough to punch the mirror._ Shun must of seen the worry in my eyes, because he pulled me in closer to him and wrapped his arms around me again. "Alice, none of this is your fault. Or Dan's for that matter. It was an accident." Shun and I stood in the hallway like that for maybe five minutes before we finally let go of each other. Shun looked at me with his amber eyes, which were partially covered by his black hair, and said, "Alice, you know I love you. And, this whole thing I guess, just made me think I really might of lost you. I just love you so much." I returned Shun's gaze and said back, "I love you too Shun. And don't ever forget that please." Shun held out his uninjured hand, and I placed mine in it, and we walked out of the hallway and into the room with the others.

_Shun_

After Alice and I had made up, we walked into the other room where Dan and the others were sitting. When they saw Alice and I walk into the room holding hands, it was fairly quiet. That is, till Julie said something. "Oh my gosh! You two made up! Yay! I'm so happy for you two!" Julie went and squeezed me and Alice, then ran back over to where she was sitting. I saw Dan's face, and the bruise that was now appearing from where I had punched him. Alice leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I take it that's what you did to Dan?" I nodded and said, "Yeah. Well, he let me get in a hit on him."

Dan walked up to me and held out his hand and said, "So, are we cool again?" I looked at his hand, then I grabbed his hand and shook it. "Yeah. We're cool." Dan sighed in relief and said, "Phew. Thank heavens." We were all laughing and joking around about the whole ordeal, when I looked up at the clock. "Damn, it's later than I though." Everyone looked up as well, and all shared surprised looks. _Guess we lost track of the time._ Dan stood up and stretched his body. "Well, I think I'm gunna turn in for the night. How about you guys?"

Me and Alice looked at each other, then I said, "Yeah. I guess we'll go to sleep too." All of us said our goodnights, and went to our rooms. While walking back towards our guest rooms, I had noticed that nobody else was on this hallway. _Huh, guess they decided to give me and Alice some privacy if we wanted it._ The two of us stood in the hallway where we were early, and kissed. "Goodnight Alice. Love you."

She smiled and said, "Night. Love you too, Shun." We retired to our rooms after that. When I walked into my room and halfway closed my door, I flipped my TV on and watched until I started getting sleepy. I looked at the digital clock and saw the time. _I guess I'll go to sleep now._ I turned the TV and laid down and covered up with my blanket. As soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a knock on my door. I opened my eyes and saw Alice had poked her head in the door.

"Shun, you asleep?" I sat up on my elbows and told her, "I was just about to go to bed. What ya need?" She then asked me, "This may sound stupid, but I couldn't get to sleep, and I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight." I felt a slight blush run across my face. I then shook my head real quick and told her, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not." She smiled and I made room for her. She climbed in next to me, and laid down. Once she was situated, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. It was odd for me at first, but I eventually loosened up and calmed down. Some of Alice's hair was near my face and as I'd breathe in I would smell the shampoo she had used. The scent of the lavender silk shampoo that was in her hair was calming me down more and making me drowsy. I then felt my eyes get heavy, and I fell asleep with Alice wrapped in my arms still.

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><p>HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! lol. -everyong goes ooooo when Shun and Alice go to bed together- lol. yesh, i is back again till next friday. -.- lol. we won our football game last night though! WOOO! lol. but we marched horribly cause the field had no hash marks. -.-' cheap ass school. lol. and yesh, it is my b-day. XP lol. i is now 15! yay! lol. so like uh thats all i can think of for now. o.o read, review, and other awesome things! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	23. Tragedy Among Us

_Shun_

The only thing that woke me up that morning, was the light shining in through the window that was hitting my eyes. I tried to open them, but was blinded for a moment, and put my arm in front of the light. I leaned back a little bit to get out of the light, and let my eyes re-adjust. Alice was still sleeping when I noticed that I had hogged some of the blanket. I climbed out of the bed, being sure not to wake her, and covered her back up before leaving my room. I walked down the hall and into the room where Dan and the others were. Runo was the first to see me enter the room and said, "Morning Shun. Hey, where's Alice? I need to ask her something."

I leaned against the wall and said, "Alice is still asleep. She'll probably wake up within the hour though." Runo nodded her head and began talking with Julie. Murucho then stepped into the room holding Alice's jacket. Dan looked at the short blonde and said, "Uh, Murucho. Why do you have Alice's jacket?" He draped the purple jacket over one of the couches and said, "Alice left it in the dining area last night and I was going to give it back to her, but she's not in her room." _That's right. They don't know Alice slept in my room with me last night._ I grabbed the jacket from the couch and told Murucho, "I know where she's at. I'll go ahead and give it to her."

I started walking out of the room when Dan stopped me. "Where is Alice anyway?" I turned around and told him, "She's in my room sleeping." Everyone then said, "Oooooo." in unison. I glared at them and said, "Oh grow up." They all laughed and I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I walked down the hall and got to my room door. I knocked quietly enough on the door to not wake her up, and loud enough that if she was awake she could hear. I slowly opened the door, and saw her laying in the same place as when I left. I tossed the jacket over a chair and gently shook her shoulder.

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Alice, time to get up. We need to start packing for the plane ride back to Moscow tomorrow." She rubbed her eyes and said, "Oh yeah. We do leave tomorrow." She got up and I handed her the purple jacket from the chair. "Murucho said you left it at the dining area last night." She grabbed the jacket from my hand and thanked me. "Alice, you ok?" She yawned and said, "Yeah. Just tired cause somebody woke me up." I grinned and said, "Oops. Sorry."

She glared at me and smiled at the same time. We both went and got our luggage bags and began packing them. Somehow Alice had finished packing before me, even though she brought more than me. I looked at her and asked her, "How did you pack so quickly?" She unzipped the bag and showed me a disordered mess where she had just thrown everything into the bag. I glared at her and shook my head. "Are you really that tired?" She nodded and zipped the bag back up. "Hey Shun, I've got something to ask you." I looked at her and said, "What is it?" She was sitting on her luggage bag to try to make it close again when she said, "Well, I was wondering if when we went back to Moscow, if we could move out from my grandfather's and maybe move into an apartment together."

I helped her zip the bag up and told her, "I don't mind. It's your grandfather that's worrying me. He might not like that idea, even if the two of us are old enough to move out." She thanked me for getting the overstuffed bag closed and said, "That is true. He might not mind, but there's always that chance he could say no." I picked up our luggage and placed it out of the way in my room. "But even if we did move in together, do we even have enough money to rent?" She sat down on my bed and replied with, "That's another problem. My job at the grocery store only pays me enough to pay off half the rent every month."

There was then a knock at the door and Dan popped in. "Hey, can I come in, or are you two doing something?" I glared at him and said, "Come on in Dan." Dan slid into the room holding Murucho's cell phone. "It's Alice's aunt. She said she really needs to talk to Alice." She ran up to Dan and took the cell phone, then stepped into the bathroom to talk. Now me and Dan were left in the room. "So Shun, you and Alice are sleeping together now. I knew it was only a matter of time." I punched Dan in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?" I glared at him. "Dan, shut up." Alice then stepped out of the bathroom, tears falling from her eyes. "Oh my god Alice, what's wrong?" Dan and I ran up to Alice, and then she wrapped her arms around me and cried.

"My grandfather…..He was killed in a car wreck this morning." Me and Dan were too shocked to speak. Alice was now sobbing, and still holding on to me. I wrapped my arms around her, but was too shocked to know what to say. I looked at Dan and whispered to him, "Go let the others know about this. Alice is going to need everyone here." Dan ran out of the room to go tell the others of Dr. Michaels' death. I whispered into Alice's ear, "Come on. Let's go into the other room and sit down." She didn't say anything as I guided her out of the room. When we entered the room, Runo and Julie ran up to Alice and hugged her.

_I'll let them be with Alice for a while. I'm not very good at comforting somebody after a death._ I plopped down on one of the couches across from Alice, and stared at the floor. _I can't even begin the fathom how hard this has to be for her._ Alice was now surrounded by not only Runo and Julie, but Murucho and Jake. Dan was standing a few feet back from the couch they were sitting. I finally got up and walked over to the couch.

Julie looked up at me and moved over, and I sat next to Alice and brought her close to me and had her place her head in the groove of my neck. "Alice, I'm so sorry." She was now doing short, quick sobs. "It's ok Shun. It wasn't your fault." I moved my arm around her and rubbed her arm with my hand. I noticed she seemed cold, and I asked Murucho to bring us a blanket. He quickly returned with a fleece throw blanket.

I draped the blanket over us. Alice looked up at the others that were behind her and said, "Could you guys leave me and Shun alone for a while?" They all left the room without saying a word, and then Alice and I were the only ones there. "Shun…I want to go back to Moscow now." I looked at her and told her, "We're going back tomorrow. Can you hold out till then? If you don't want to, then I'll try to scrounge up some money and buy a plane ticket today." She leaned into me more and said, "I guess I can wait till tomorrow." I just kept looking at her, and sighed.

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><p>-stretches- another chapter done. X3 would of been done sooner, but the moving picture box kept distracting me. o.o lol. well, that's all i can think of. o.o so read, review, and stuff. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	24. Chocolate Cubed Fruit

_Shun_

Alice had stopped crying two hours after receiving the news of her grandfather's death. The two of us were still sitting on the couch holding each other, but Alice had fallen asleep. Dan and Runo then walked inside the room. Dan leaned over the back of the couch and whispered to me, "How's she holding up?" I moved enough to turn and face Dan without waking Alice, and whispered back, "She had cried herself to sleep. I'm too afraid that if I wake her up, that she'll start crying again." Runo was looking down at Alice, then shook her head back and forth and said softly, "Poor Alice."

_Yeah…._ Dan and Runo exchanged looks at each other, then left me, and a sleeping Alice, alone in the room. I sighed. _She's gunna have to wake up eventually. _I nudged her with my elbow, and she sat up and looked at me. "Huh? What is it?" Her eyes were red and puffy from where she had been crying practically non-stop, and her voice was stuffy and soft. "Come on Alice, get up. I'll take you to your room and you can lay down in there for as long as you want. And if you want me to stay in there with you, then I will."

I helped her up to her feet, and walked with her down the hall. We stopped at each others rooms, and I asked her, "Do you wanna sleep in your room, or mine?" She stared at the floor and said quietly, "Can I sleep in yours?" I told her it was no problem, and walked her into my room, and let her lie down on my bed, and then covered her up. "Do you want or need anything? If you do, then I can see if I can get it." She shook her head and turned to face the wall. I sighed and sat next to her on the bed, and stroked her soft, orange hair with my hand. After twenty minutes or so, she had fallen back asleep. I then got off the bed, being careful not to wake her, and stepped out of the room.

_I'd hate to leave her alone, but I seriously need something to drink and some air._ I didn't bother asking Kato to fix me anything, so instead I walked outside and across the street to this little café. I ordered a cup of coffee and sat in one of the outside tables. Even though it was still winter here like in Moscow, it was a lot warmer, but still cool enough to make you shiver once in a while. I sat at the table and sipped on my coffee, while watching people and cars go by. _This is one thing I just don't ever understand. Even when somebody dies, the world keeps on going. I should ponder life another day._ I finished up my coffee, and dropped some pocket change in the tip jar on my way out. _It's such a beautiful day…..I suppose it won't hurt to just walk a little ways down the street and get some more air._ I stuck my hands into my pockets, and headed down the sidewalk. _This trip didn't go right at all._

_Alice_

When I had fallen back to sleep, Shun was sitting next to me on the bed, now he wasn't anywhere in the room. I sat up and began calling his name. "Shun? Where'd ya go? Shun?" Normally, I would of gotten up and searched for him, but I didn't seem to have the energy._ I don't even know if I'll have it in me to get on the plane tomorrow and go back._ There was a knock on the door, and Runo walked in. "Hey Alice. How ya doing?" She closed the door behind her, and walked over and sat on the foot of the bed. "Hi Runo. I guess I'm feeling ok." She could tell that was a bold face lie, and sighed. "Alice, you know all of us are here for you if you need us, right?" I nodded my head and told her I knew that. Runo was just about to leave, when I stopped her. "Hey Runo. Where's Shun?" She turned around and told me, "Hey left out a few minutes ago to get some air. He told me he'd be back within the hour." I stared at the foot of the bed and said, "Oh…Ok…" The door clicked again and Runo was gone. I looked on the nightstand and saw he had taken his cell phone with him.

_I could call him. No, I shouldn't bug him._ I sighed and felt water start to well up in my eyes again. I squeezed them shut and blinked away the oncoming tears. _No Alice, you gotta be strong. Grandfather would of wanted you to be strong._ My attempts were worthless, and soon my eyes were overflowing with tears. I brought my knees up to my chest, and held on to my legs with my hands, then buried my face into my knees and cried. I then felt a set of arms wrap around my shoulders, and when I looked up, Shun was sitting next to me. "I knew I shouldn't of left you alone." I couldn't see his eyes due to his black hair covering them, so I couldn't see his facial expression. "It's ok Shun. I wasn't crying cause you left me alone for a few minutes."

_I never heard him enter the room. Well he is a ninja after all._ He looked up at me with his amber eyes, and I could see all the care and concern flooding out of them. Shun's eyes had always looked animalistic to me, but this was the first time I had ever seen them as, well, gentle. They weren't sharp and focused like they usually were. They weren't dangerous and mysterious. They were just _gentle. _I smiled and said, "Shun, thank you for being her for me." He grinned back at me. "Oh! Wait, I picked you up something while I was out. Here it is." It was a some what large plastic bag, and when I looked inside, there was an assortment of cubed fruits dipped in chocolate. "Is this from that little candy shop down the road?" Shun grinned and said, "Yeah. I remembered how a while back you said you loved their chocolate covered fruit, so I decided I pick you up a container."

I smiled at him and he hugged me. "Thanks Shun. This is so sweet. Literally." The two of us laughed for a few seconds before he said, "So, you gunna eat em now or do you want me to have Kato put em up in a fridge?" I wasn't exactly hungry, so I told him, "I think I'll eat some later. If that's ok with you." He said it was no big deal and walked out of the room to take the fruit to Kato. _It amazes me how easily Shun can cheer me up._ I climbed out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to wash my face. When I flipped the light on, I saw the mirror Shun had shattered out of anger. I saw not all of the blood had been wiped from the glass, and then felt phantom pains in my hand just thinking about it.

I shook my head and turn the water on and splashed it on my face. I heard Shun walk into the room this time, and he said, "Hey Alice, where'd ya run off to?" I called back to him. "I'm in the bathroom washing my face." He told me to watch out for the shattered mirror, and I thanked him for the self-explanatory warning. I dried off my face with a hand towel, and stepped out of the bathroom. Shun was rummaged through one of the drawers in the nightstand. "What are you looking for?" He checked up from the drawer and pulled out his cell phone charger.

"I don't wanna forget this, so I'm putting it in my bag." I rolled my eyes and sat in the bed, leaning my back against the headboard. Shun closed the drawer and picked up the TV remote. "You wanna watch something?" I shrugged and told him, "Sure. I wonder if CSI is on." Shun sat down next to me on the bed and flipped through the TV stations. "Nope. Doesn't look like it. Anything else you'd prefer to watch?"

I sat there for a minute or two then said, "How about whatever is on the Chiller channel?" Shun switched it over to the wanna-be horror channel, and there was a movie playing that had never been heard of. In my opinion, the greatest burn to a movie is to go straight to the Chiller or Syfy channel. Shun and I were laughing at the lame effects and story plot of the not scary at all movie. The movie finally went off an hour later, and then one of the Chiller series came on. Shun let out a yawn and slid down in the bed. "I think I'm gunna turn in early. Remember, we're going back to Moscow tomorrow, so we need to be up early." Shun shifted in the bed a few times before finally getting comfortable, and soon I turned off the TV and did the same.

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><p>AHAHAHA! UPLOAD! XD lol. o.o hehehehehehehehehehehe im on a sugar rush so ima typing really quick like now. -burns hole in keyboard- O.o XD lol. XP o.o damn, it wore off. -.- lol. i liked getting the chance to diss the chiller channel and syfy channel movies cause they have to plot to them. X3 lol. and i want chocolate fruit now. o.o darn my creative mind. lol. i am not sure if there will be an upload saturday or sunday cause i have a friend that just had a bad break up and im goin over to her house and we is gunna eats fattening foods. XP then i have a Celtic Festival sunday. : I am positive there wont be an upload friday, football game and stuffs. :/ well, read and review and stuffs. XP ~Copperpelt~


	25. Fix Me

_Shun_

Alice and I were rushing to our flight, due to the fact neither one of us set the alarm clock last night, and we were now running late. We finally found our gate after a few minutes of frantic searching, and bolted onto the plane with six minutes to spare. Both of us were standing in the aisle, hands on our knees, and bent over trying to catch our breath. A flight attendant walked up behind us, and asked if we wanted him to place our luggage in the overhead compartments. Alice and I both nodded, and were still bent over out of breath.

I told Alice between huffing breaths, "I don't…..remember…..being this….out of shape…oh my god I can't breathe." Alice then said, "Same here…." The same flight attendant came out from the little snack room with two glasses of water for us. "Here. Nobody wants you two passing out and blocking the aisle." We took the water and guzzled it down in a matter of seconds, and handed the empty cups back to the attendant. The intercom then beeped, signaling the plane was about to take off, and we moved our tired legs and took our seats.

We both plopped down in our seats with a _oof_ cause the seats weren't exactly comfortable. The two of us closed our eyes and sighed in unison. We then opened them up and stared at each other, then began laughing. Both of us stopped laughing when the intercom came on with the pilot speaking. "This is your pilot, thanks you for choosing our airlines. We will be taking off any minute now so enjoy your flight."

Just like the last flight, they brought out snacks and put a movie on. Neither me, nor Alice, watched the movie. Instead, we slept the entire flight back to Moscow. I was then woken up by the landing gear of the plane touching down on the runway, and saw Alice was sleeping through the landing. _How is she still sleeping!_ I tapped her shoulder lightly and she looked up at me and yawned. _Seriously!_ She looked around and saw people getting off the plane. "Oh, we've landed already?" I just shook my head and helped unload our luggage from the overhead compartments.

The two of us remembered the layout of the airport from our last flight, and made our way easily, and quickly, to the exit. As soon as we walked outside, we both saw a familiar face. It was Dr. Michaels old friend, Dr. Fredrick. The same guy that came and made a house call for me and Alice when we were sick. He was standing in front of a black BMW and said, "Hey guys. I thought you two would need a ride back home, so I volunteered." Alice ran up to the old family friend, and hugged him. "Thank you so much Mr. Fredrick." He waved his hand and chucked. "Now now. How many times must I tell you, we're like family, so just call me Uncle Will. That is, unless I'm on business." We laughed for a minute before climbing into the car.

Alice and I were sitting in the back on the tan leather interior when "Uncle Will" said, "I'm really sorry about Michaels passing. How are you holding up Alice?" Alice sighed and then said, "I'm doing better now." I remained quiet and only listened to their conversation. "That's good. You know, about a month ago, Michaels took out some kind of policy, and now the house belongs to you and Shun." Both of us looked at him wide eyed and said simultaneously, "What!" We must of said it rather loud because the man swerved a little on the road.

"No need to yell. But yeah. He recently paid off the last of the bills and debt, so the house is completely paid off. And Shun, the reason you're name was placed in ownership of the house is because Michaels saw how strong the bond between you and Alice had become. He basically just wanted you two to have a place to live if something were to happen to him." _Me and Alice…..Have a place to live now….._ I smiled slightly. _Thanks Michaels._

Alice and the elderly man were still talking, and explaining to him how we thought about renting an apartment when we returned. "Well, you two won't have to rent now. Heck, you won't have to pay anything on the house. Michaels made sure that everything was set up if something happened." The car then arrived in the driveway, of what was now, mine and Alice's home. "Look's like we're here. Do you want me to help you guys with your luggage?" We told him there wouldn't be any need, and that we could get it inside. The old man stuck a key in the doorknob, and opened the door.

Alice was the first to enter, and she just stood there looking at the house. "Everything looks the same as when we left." Uncle Will walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's strange isn't it? Hey Alice, if you want, I can stay here with you two for a few days if you want some kind of family here." Alice turned to face him and smiled. "Thanks Uncle Will, but I don't think that'll be necessary." He nodded his head in understanding, and said good-bye to us and left. "You sure you don't want him to stay?" She walked over to me and kissed my cheek. "I'm sure. Besides, I've got you, Shun." I smiled and carried the bags and placed them in the owners rooms.

_Shun_

Most of the night was quiet, except when Alice was in the kitchen fixing dinner. The sounds of pots and pans banging into each other rang through the empty house. I was sitting at the table in the kitchen, covering my ears as she pulled out a medium sized saucepan. "Oh quit being dramatic, Shun. It isn't that loud." I replied sarcastically, "What! I cant hear you! It's too loud!" I was then hit in the face with a wet dish rag. "Oh hahaha. Very funny Alice." She rolled her eyes and went back to cooking.

After an hour or so, the meal was ready and she placed two plates at the table, but stopped at looked at where Dr. Michaels used to sit. "It's so strange not having him here anymore." I stood up and hugged her. "Yeah, I know. Even though I wasn't here that long, it seems so empty now. Come, on, we should eat before it gets cold. I'd hate for all your hard work to go to waste." She nodded and sat down across from me. We both finished our food at about the same time, and I took the plates and put them into the dishwasher. I then yawned and told Alice, "I think I'm gunna go on to bed. I'm beat from the flight."

Alice walked over to the sink and got out a bottle of cleaner and said, "Ok. I'm gunna stay down here for a little while and clean up." I knew she'd be ok, and headed up the stairs to my room. I stopped at the top of the stairs, and was able to see Alice still cleaning, then walked into my room. I looked at the bag I packed from the trip, and went ahead and placed everything back into its designated places. As soon as I finished unpacking, Alice walked into my room. "Alice?" She looked like she was about to start crying, so a hurried over to here and wrapped my arms around her. "Shun, I miss him so much." I rubbed her back slowly with my hand and whispered to her, "I know. I actually miss him too." We leaned back enough to look at each other, and then our lips met. Without breaking the kiss, we both walked over to the bed, and flipped the lights out.

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><p>-every says ooooooooo at the same time again- -.- lol. XP yes. lol, im not very creative at making up names. (Uncle Fredrick) O.O lol. the chapter's name is based off a song by i think the name of the band is Velvet or something like that. o.O i dunno, i cant trust iTunes at times. : AH! SUN IN MY EYES! -goes blind and runs into a wall- o.o lol. so like there WILL be an upload this weekend, my friend had to move our fattening sweets eating night to next weekend. XD YAY! lol. well, i think that's it. yall know there wont be an upload friday cause of football game thingy. o.o so like, read, review, and other stuffs. ~Copperpelt~


	26. Last Night

_Shun_

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ I sat up on my elbows and glared at the digital alarm clock that was going off. _Why the hell did I set that thing again?_ I reached and hit the off button and felt something next to me. I looked behind me and saw Alice curled up against me. _Damn, I forgot she was there._ The alarm apparently hadn't disturbed her slumber, but it sure disturbed mine. _Well, I'm awake now. No point in trying to go back to sleep._

I slid out of the bed and looked around on the floor for the shirt I wore yesterday. _Now where the hell did it-_ I looked back at the bed and saw Alice had put my shirt on some time while I was sleeping. _Looks like I'm gunna have to find a different shirt. _I rummaged in the drawers and found an identical shirt and put it on. After I freshened up in the bathroom, I walked downstairs to find something to eat. I scanned the fridge for food, and found last night's leftovers. _I really don't feel like cooking anything._

I pulled out the Tupperware container and fixed a plate. After a minute or so, the microwave dinged and I pulled out the re-heated meal. I glanced at the coffee pot that sat next to the microwave. _I think I'll make some coffee for me and Alice._ I figured out the coffee pot fairly quickly, and in a matter of minutes, coffee started dripping into the pot. Coffee stopped dripping, and now the pot was completely full. I opened up several cabinets and found a cup, and poured the coffee into it.

I placed my face near the coffee and took in a deep breath and smiled. _I love the scent of hot coffee._ I was sitting at the table, eating my food and drinking my coffee, when Alice walked in. She still had on my shirt, and was wearing a pair of purple shorts underneath. "Morning sleepyhead." She yawned, and just as if she were programmed, she reached up into the cabinets and pulled out a cup, poured the coffee into the cup along with some creamer, and sat down next to me, all with her eyes closed. "And I thought I was a ninja." She only yawned again and sipped her coffee.

Alice was really a sight for sore eyes; her hair was pretty much sticking up everywhere for where she hadn't brushed it, and not even to mention how laidback she looked wearing my shirt. The coffee was finally starting to wake her up, and she acted like she just realized I was there. "Oh! Shun, when'd you get up?" I laughed and said, "I've been up about half an hour." Alice shrugged and took another sip from the cup. "You gunna eat anything for breakfast?"

She got up and placed her cup in the sink. "I'm not really that hungry. Don't worry, if I get hungry I'll find something." I shrugged and copied her and placed my cup in the sink next to hers. "So Alice, what ya wanna do today? Go out? Stay in? Whatever you wanna do." She walked in the living room and plopped down on the couch. "Hmm. How bout we just chill her today?" I smiled and shrugged.

"Ok. Suit yourself." I leaped over the back of the couch and plopped down next to her. "Smooth Mr. Hotshot." I held my head up high and smiled, and she just shook her head and rolled her eyes. I reached over to the side table and waved the remote between us. "Wanna watch something on TV?" Alice kinda looked up at the ceiling as if she were thinking, and shook her head. "Nah. I kinda just wanna spend some time with you." She leaned into me and placed her head in the groove of my neck, while at the same time placing a hand on my chest. I blinked a few times, then smiled. "Whatever you want." She giggled and closed her eyes.

_Alice_

I loved being close to Shun; his scent, warmth, and him being there was enough to make me happy. I couldn't help but smile when I thought about last night. Shun's breathing had slowed down, and I looked up at him with my eyes and saw he was falling asleep. He was trying not to drift off, but once his eyes closed, I saw he was out.

I didn't want to move, mainly from fear of waking him, so I tried to stay as still as possible. That is, until something tickled my nose and I sneezed. Shun shot straight up, and when he did it knocked me off the couch. "Oh Alice! I'm sorry!" I rubbed my lower back where I had landed and told him, "It's ok Shun. It was my fault for sneezing and scaring you."

We stared at each other then started laughing about what happened. A few knocks at the door broke our laughter, and Shun got up from the couch and opened the door. Standing there was Uncle Fredrick. "Hey, I was driving down this way and thought I'd stop by and see how you two are doing." Shun and I looked at each other and grinned. Shun the told him, "We're doing fantastic." Uncle Fredrick walked in and sat on a chair that was placed across from the couch. He stopped and looked at me, obviously wondering why I was on the floor. Once I realized I hadn't stood up, I quickly jumped to my feet, then noticed I was still wearing Shun's shirt. "Oh my! Uh, lemme go change real quick!" I quickly ran up the stair and into my room to change. _Oh how embarrassing._

_Shun_

It was slightly awkward between me and the old man once Alice ran upstairs to go change. I was standing behind the couch when he said something. "So, uh, you and Alice doing fine so far?" I nodded and prayed Alice would hurry up. And just as though my prayers were answered, she rushed down the stairs wearing one of her many purple dresses. "Ok. I'm back." _Thank heavens. _I let out a sigh of relief as she took a seat on the couch. I walked around and joined her. None of us really said anything, but Alice attempted to start several conversations.

The elder man then placed his hands on his knees, and stood up. "Well, I think I'll be heading out now. It's good to know you two are doing ok. I'll drop by again soon." We said our good-byes and he left the house. _Thank goodness that's over._ Alice looked relieved he was gone as well. "That was slightly embarrassing." I agreed with her and stood up. "Where you going, Shun?" I looked down at her and said, "Just stretching my legs. Might go outside for a little while too."

I walked over towards the door and stepped outside. All the snow on the ground had melted, and leaves and flowers were beginning to appear on trees. _In a few more days it'll be spring…Great._ I already felt my head hurting from the little amounts of pollen floating around. Spring was a horrible time of year for me. I remembered all those cool spring days training outside and sneezing my brains out and feeling as if my head may explode.

_I don't care how pretty springtime may be, it's only a time for my head to suffer._ Alice stepped outside behind me and took in a big breath of air, which made me cringe. "Don't you just love the spring, Shun!" I waved my hands slowly in the air and said very un-enthusiastically, "Yay. Spring. Woo." She placed her hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow at me. I told her, "Spring isn't good for those of us who have allergies." She then said, "I didn't know you had allergies Shun." I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Most of the time I'm taking some allergy medicine, but they eventually stop working on me and I always need a new prescription every year."

She nodded her head and asked if I wanted to go back inside. I told her, "Nah. I can tolerate this, just don't yell please." She promised she'd try and be quiet. I sat on one of the concrete steps and watch Alice walk around looking at the blooming flowers. I then realized that this was where I collapsed almost two or three months ago._ Hard to believe that all of this started cause I got into a fight with Fabia and ran off into the forest. I guess destiny really did want Alice and I together. Or maybe it was just luck. Either way, I'm not gunna argue with it._ Alice and I stayed outside until the sun began to set behind the trees, and when we went inside we just re-heated the leftovers, then went up to bed.

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><p>-everyone claps because of new upload- lol. X3 i've had many a times where i've fallen off of a couch. o.O lol random. i'm starting to think nighttime is their favorite time. -.-'' just sayin. lol. omg i am so ready for the three day weekend. XP well, thats all i can think up. o.o lol. read, review, and you know the rest. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	27. Move Along

_Alice_

That morning, I didn't wake up with Shun next to me. I sat up and looked around for him, but saw no trace that he had been in the room for a while. I quickly got out of the bed and put on a light purple tank top and dark purple shorts that I had stashed in the room. I ran out of the room, but backed up and looked at the dresser, and ran my finger on the surface. _God this place needs a good cleaning. I'll have Shun help me clean up when I find him._

I found him sitting in the living room reading a book, then he looked up at me and grinned. But it wasn't an entirely thrilled grin, it was more of a _I'm hiding something and leave me alone please _grin. I walked off the last few steps and said, "Everything ok, Shun?" He closed the book and grinned back at me. "Yeah. Just thought I'd catch up on some reading." He placed the book down and walked over to me, and embraced me in a hug.

_He's not telling me something._ I could feel that Shun's breathing was shaky, and his body was slightly dense. "Shun, tell me what's wrong. I know you're hiding something." Shun only looked at me and then smiled. "I'm not hiding anything Alice." _Your might be saying that, but your eyes are telling me an entirely different story._ The smile on his face vanished and he said somewhat seriously, "What? You don't believe me?"

I shook my head and told him, "No. I don't, Shun." His eyes narrowed at me. "Why not?" I didn't say anything back, mainly because I couldn't put the words together to explain how I knew he wasn't telling me something. He stuck his hands into his pockets and walked towards the door, grabbing his jacket and car keys before exiting. "Well, why you figure out why you don't believe me, I'm going to drive around town." Before I could get a word out, he slammed the door shut, and the sound echoed throughout the house. I darted for the door and swung it open, only to see that Shun was already driving out of the driveway. I ran back inside and scooped up my cell phone, and punched in the numbers for Uncle Fredrick. He answered the phone and told me hello. "Uncle Fredrick, something's up with Shun. And I'm gunna need some help."

_Shun_

_She worries way too much. There's nothing wrong with me. Just cause I don't throw a party when she wakes up, it means I'm hiding something._ I stopped talking to myself, and upon arriving at a stop light, lowered my head and stared at the bottom of the steering wheel. _She's right though. There is something wrong with me._ I never noticed the light turn green, and nobody was behind me, so there was no yelling or cursing for me to get my head out of the clouds. I pushed the accelerator with my foot, and turned into an empty parking lot that belonged to some old abandoned business. I clenched the wheel with my hands and growled.

And just as quickly as I got angry, I calmed down and sighed, then leaned back into the car seat. _I don't like pushing people away, but there are times when I just need my space._ I shut my eyes and let my mind wonder, but was brought out of my thoughts by a knocking at the window. I sat up and saw Uncle Fredrick and Alice standing outside the car. It was then that I noticed how dark it was getting. _How long was I out here?_ I looked at the clock on the radio to see the time. _I've been out here for three hours?_ The man knocked on the window again, and I heard his voice through the glass.

"Shun, either get out of the car, or roll down the window." I pushed the button and let the window down. "May I help you?" The old man glared at me and said, "Yes, you can. And you can start by telling us what's troubling you Shun." _She told him._ I looked at Alice, who was at least three or four feet back from Fredrick, and said, "There's nothing wrong with me. I just wanted some time to myself and that's it." He shook his head side to side and walked over to Alice. They were whispering, but speaking loud enough that I caught a few words.

They both walked back over to the car and said, "Shun, why don't you step out of the car so this old man doesn't have to bend over?" I sighed and opened the door. _It's going to be impossible for me to get these two off my back._ I leaned my body against the car, and allowed them to speak. Alice walked in front of Uncle Fredrick and told me, "Shun, I know you're not telling me something. Please, just tell us what's troubling you."

At this point, I was getting aggravated. _Why can't people just let you be when you want to?_ "Fine, you want to know? Think back to eight years ago, when we were twelve. What happened?" Alice thought for a minute, and she looked at me just like a freight train had hit her. "Your mother…." _Happy now? You know what's up with me._ Every year since my mother's death, I would alienate everybody for that day, then I'd be back to normal the next day.

At least, that depends on your definition of normal. Alice looked guilty that she forgot about what happened to my mom, and that she was harping on me to speak like a parrot. "Shun, I'm sorry. But why didn't you just tell us?" _Here we go again._ I sighed and told her, "It's not exactly something that's fun to bring up. Ok, so what if I like being alone on the worst day of the year? You'd probably want to be alone every now and again too."

She stared down at the asphalt and said, "Shun, I can understand why you'd want to be alone, but that isn't healthy for you mentally. You need people most of all on that day. Keeping to yourself will only make everything worse." _She's right again. But after eight years of doing this, it'll be difficult to allow people into my life on that day._ I sighed, and finally gave in. "I suppose you've got a point. But I still just want to be by myself for awhile. I don't want people being all sympathetic around me 24/7." Alice nodded and said, "Ok. I guess this is a step in the right direction. Come on, it gets really cold at night. We should go home now." I climbed into my car, which was originally Dr. Michaels', and drove off back towards the house, and Alice and her uncle were not far off behind. _Looks like my days of being by myself really are over._ I didn't even realize that a small grin was escaping from my face.

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><p>sorry for the late update. : been kinda an off day for me. -.- i almost didnt upload, but i promised that there would be, and there's a 50/50 chance of their being one tomorrow. it may be earlier than norma, but eh, oh well. so like, im tire so i'll get right to the point, read, review, and stuff. -.-'' ~Copperpelt~


	28. Control and Limits

_Alice_

That next morning, I woke up in my own room, my own bed, and by myself. It was strange waking up without Shun next to me, but last night I promised him some space, especially with the way I was harping on him to tell me what was wrong. I sat up and slid on my pair of purple slippers I kept at the side of my bed, then brushed my hair before leaving the room. I stopped at Shun's room, and quietly turned the knob to his door.

The knob stopped turning, telling me it was locked. _He still doesn't want anyone bothering him._ I sighed and went down stairs and into the kitchen. I just poured me a glass of ice water and sat down at the table. I looked over at one of the corners and saw yesterday's stack of mail that I never had gotten the chance to look through. I picked up the papers and flipped through them. _Junk…Wrong address…..Junk….._ My fingers stopped at one particular letter though. It was addressed to me, and concerned my grandfather's funeral. I quickly tore open the letter and read it. The mail was sent from my aunt that lived a few miles from Moscow, and was telling me about how she was going to schedule the funeral and when the date would be.

_The funeral is in four days…..I don't even know if I wanna go…..I should, but I don't think I could tolerate it._ I placed the letter back into the envelope, then walked over to the calendar that we had stuck on the fridge, and wrote the date and time of the funeral on it. I dropped the pen back into its holder, and sat back down at the table, resting my head in the palm's of my hands.

_When did everything start to fall apart? Not only with my grandfather's death, but everything else as well._ I glanced up at the wall clock, and saw it was almost noon, and Shun still wasn't out of his room. _I should check in on him, but I really don't want to pester him._ I finally decided it would be better to be safe than sorry, and walked up the stairs and knocked three times on his door. "Shun? It's practically noon. Are you awake?" I heard something moving around, and he opened the door just enough for his head to fit through. "What is it Alice?"

_He still sounds annoyed with me. _"I was just checking up on you…..You were just up here a long time, and I was just concerned. I won't bug you anymore." I began walking away from his room, when he said, "Alice, wait." I stopped and turned around and saw he had stepped out of his room. Shun was wearing the same clothes he had on from yesterday, and his hair looked slightly uncombed. "Yes, Shun?"

He looked like he was having trouble getting his words out, almost like somebody with public speaking problems, and was giving a speech to the entire world. "I'm sorry if I've been acting like a complete jerk, it's just….God how to I put this? It's just weird for me to make so many transitions in my life all of a sudden. It's not your fault, I'm just a little overwhelmed right now, and kind of need some time to get my mind straight. If I don't do that, then there's no telling what I might say or do."

Shun's eyes were fixed on the floor, and looked as if they were trying to find something beyond where he was staring at. "Shun, you know if you want to talk or anything, I'm here. You don't have to fight on your own anymore." The silence was broken by a sudden low grumbling sound. I looked down and my stomach and then looked back and Shun and smiled nervously. "Uh, woops. Hehehe. I haven't eaten anything yet."

He smirked, but I easily saw it wasn't genuine. "Come on, Shun. Let's go into town and get something to eat." He didn't protest, and followed me down the stairs and then outside. He stopped a few feet from the concrete steps, then looked up at the treetops, which were starting to be covered with green leaves again. A small gust of cool wind then blew past us, making our hair move slightly, then it stopped. Shun sighed, and climbed into the passenger side of the car. _Looks like I'm driving._

_Shun_

I really didn't want to be in that car going to some place to eat, but I knew it was the only way to keep Alice from worrying too much about me. I already knew she was, but there was no need to antagonize it. What I really wanted was to just stay in my room and put everything together in my mind.

When I told her I was overwhelmed, I was telling the truth. Too much was going on at once for my mind to process, and it was running me into overdrive. "Grandfather's funeral is in four days. Just to let you know in case you didn't see the calendar." I looked at the orange haired girl, who had just brought me out of thoughts, and asked her, "Are you going?" She looked far ahead in the road and said, "I'm note sure. A part of me is saying I should go, but another part is telling me I don't want to. Do you think I should go, Shun?"

_Why'd she have to ask me that? If I tell her no, then I'd be insensitive. If I tell her yes, then I could __**still**__ be insensitive. _All of this was making my head spin, and stomach do back flips. "Alice, pull the car over." She looked over at me like I had gone nuts. "Why? What's wrong?" I leaned forward and then said sternly, "Just pull the car over! I need some air!" She quickly turned the wheel to the right and parked next to a sidewalk.

I opened the door and jumped out, falling on my hands and knees when I did. My breathing was short, and felt as though I was being squeezed by something. "Shun! Are you ok!" _Do I look ok!_ Alice whipped out her cell phone and punched in three numbers. _She's calling 911. Great…._ I couldn't catch my breath long enough to tell her there was no need for them to come, and in no time an ambulance came rushing down the street.

When the medics started looking me over, my breathing had calmed down, and I was able to make somewhat clear sentences. One of the medics, which had shaggy brown hair, stood up and faced Alice and told her, "Well, he appears fine, but it looks like he's had a minor panic attack." _You call __**that**__ minor? I'd hate to see what you'd classify as major._ Alice looked as if she were going to have one of her own. "Will he be ok!" The medic instructed Alice to sit on the curb, so she could take it easy.

"Calm down ma'am. The most common cause of panic attacks is stress." He turned and faced me. "Have you been under more stress than normally?" I thought back to when I was just beginning my ninja training, and how I would have panic attacks all the time cause of all the stress brought on by school, social crap, training, and so on. But I eventually got to used to them and all the juggling of my stress, and hadn't had one in years.

I told the medic, "I guess so. Things have been a little more hectic than usual." I also explained to him about how I had previous panic attacks. All he did was nod a few times and said, "I see. Well, I'm going to check your blood pressure and heart rate before we leave. I see no point in making you go to a doctor or hospital, but just to be on the safe side, I'd at least get a check up."

I nodded and allowed him to perform the tests, then they drove off in the ambulance back the way they came. Alice got up and sat next to me on the curb, then placed her hand on mine. "Shun, I'm sorry. I should of seen how much stress everything was putting on you." I looked at her and said, "You couldn't of done anything Alice. If anything, I shouldn't of put all this weight on my shoulders. I should of known when to draw the line and just take a break and slow down." She looked at the car and asked me, "You wanna go back home? I can fix me something to eat there instead of getting something from a restaurant." I sighed and told her, "Yeah. Let's go back home."

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><p>i like, got home from the game and was just so wide awake that i couldnt fall asleep, so i decided to to an upload...AFTER HOURS! lol. i had almost forgotten about dr. michaels funeral, so i just added that little tidbit of info in there. but yeah, our team got the snot beaten out of us...030...we suck...-.-'' lol. well, i'll upload ASAP 2morrow. so, read, review, and stuffs! X3 (if you cant tell, im in a better mood than yesterday) ~Copperpelt~


	29. Night's For The Lovers, and Facebook

_Shun_

I was the first back in the house, and after I placed my jacket on the hanger, I went and laid down on the couch and sighed. _What a week….._ I heard the sound of keys and sat up and saw Alice setting them in the little bowl that had several other sets of keys in it. She walked over to the back of the couch and asked me, "You want anything to eat or drink?" I only laid back down and grabbed one of the pillows and placed it over my face.

"I'll take that as a no…" _Maybe I'll fall asleep with this pillow on me and I'll be smothered on accident…..No, I need to stop thinking like that…_ I heard Alice walk back in the living room, and then the sound of something being placed on the coffee table. I removed the pillow from my face, and saw she had placed a cup of ice water on one of the coasters. "I went ahead and fixed you something to drink anyway. You might get thirsty later."

I thanked her, and waited for her to go back into the kitchen or into another room, and reached for the water and took a sip. I hadn't even noticed how thirsty I really was. Then I saw Alice's reflection in the glass door of the stove, and saw she was sitting at the table eating. I got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. "Shun? What are you doing walking around? You should be resting." I pulled out the chair next to her and sat in it.

"Sorry. I just wanted to tell you thanks for the water. Even though I've been acting unlike myself, you're still taking care and looking out for me." She took a bit of what appeared to be a salad she threw together, then she said, "Shun, it doesn't matter how you're acting. I love you and when you're hurting, I am as well." I let a small smile escape my mouth, and told her, "Thanks. I kind of needed to hear that right now…..I just though about something, you never told me if you were going to your grandfather's funeral." She put her fork into, what was now, an empty bowl.

"I don't think I am. I still haven't even really accepted that he's gone yet." I nodded and told her, "I understand. Honestly, I don't care whether you go or don't, cause I'll be there with you. If you want to stay here, then I'll stay here. If you want to go, then I'll go too." She leaned against me and said, "Thank you Shun." Our lips met and when we broke the kiss, she whispered softly, "How bout we go to bed early." I glanced up at the clock, and like an idiot, I said, "But it's only three in the afternoon." She giggled and said, "So?" We stood up from the table, and my arm was wrapped around her waist as we headed up the stairs.

_Alice_

Shun and I were curled up in his bed, and even though the TV was on, neither of us were watching it. I placed my head on his chest, and contently sighed as I listened to his heartbeat. Both of us had completely lost track of time. I glanced at the digital clock, and saw it was seven at night. _Dang, we headed up her at three. _Shun moved over slightly to give me more room on the bed. Even though the bed was big enough for two people to lay on it, it wasn't designed to be big enough for two people to be _comfortable_ on it. I took the space Shun had given me, and thanked him for not letting me fall off. Shun looked down at me, and I looked up at him with my eyes and smiled.

He placed a quick kiss on my forehead. Our little moment was shattered when the phone rang. Shun growled and told me, "Hang on. I'll be back in a minute." He slid out of the bed, and walked over to the phone, and took it off the hook. "Hello?….What is it, Dan?….No, you didn't call at a bad time…You idiot, of course you called at a bad time!" I couldn't help but giggle at their conversation, even if I was only hearing half of it. Shun sighed and said into the phone, "You got it now?…..Good…Bye, Dan….."

Shun clicked the hang up button and put the phone back on the receiver, then sat back down on the bed. "What Dan want?" He placed the palm of his hand to his face and said, "That idiot couldn't figure out how to work his new Facebook account." I didn't mean to bust out laughing, but it couldn't be helped. Shun rolled his eyes, and before I could figure out what was happening, Shun had me locked into another long kiss.

When we broke for air, I said, "Seriously? Again? Don't you need a break?" He chuckled. I couldn't help but have chills go throughout my body every time he chuckled. It was just something about how his voice sounded that drove me crazy. In a good way of course. We kissed again, and Shun wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me close to him. He rolled over onto his back, but apparently forgot that there was no bed there, and both of us fell off. Shun landed on his back, and I landed on his front. "Ow. You know, we really need to do something about that, cause I cant take many more bruises." I giggled and kissed his lips and told him, "Oh quit complaining."

_Shun_

A some point in the night, we moved from the floor back to the bed, and I was truly happy for that. Mainly because that wood floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. Alice was laying next to me, completely out cold, and I was just laying there watching those paid programming things cause I couldn't fall asleep.

After thirty minutes of watching one telling you about this new wonder pill that makes you lose weight in a day, I could tell you everything about it. Then, just if my cries for help had been heard, Alice woke up. I let a small laugh escape when I saw her. Her hair was a frizzy mess from where her head was on the pillow. She rubbed her eye and said slowly, "What's so funny? And what are you still doing up?"

I shook my head and said, "Oh nothing. I was just watching some TV, hoping it'd make me fall asleep. It's not exactly working." She yawned and told me, "Well, I'm not gunna help tire you out. I'm going back to sleep." I rolled my eyes and laid down, trying to fall asleep again, but my eyes just wouldn't seem to close. _Ugh. This is getting old._ I kept tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position, when I felt something hit me in the back. "Ow!" I turned and looked at Alice. "Shun, find a place, lay there, and don't move."

I narrowed my eyes at her, and eventually found a position that didn't bother me, and I felt my eyes grow heavy. _Yes, I'm falling asleep._ My eyes shut, and I was just about to fall asleep, when my phone rang. "What the hell! Are you serious!" I threw the covers off of me and walked over to my cell phone.

_Dan….I'm going to kill you!_ I saw he sent me a text message. _Hey buddy, sorry if I woke you up or whatever, but I need you to explain something to me about this Facebook chat thing. What's that little moon thingy mean? _I growled, and took the battery out of my phone. "Dan…You're an idiot." A pillow then was thrown at me, and I saw a sleepy, and annoyed Alice sitting up with her arms crossed over her chest. "Sorry if I woke you up….Dan's being an idiot again." She rolled her eyes and laid back down. I sighed as I climbed back into the bed. _Now, let's try this again._

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><p>lol. Dan, Dan, Dan. -shakes head- XD Facebook DOES ruin your life. lol. ah, to be young, stupid, and in love. X3 lol. ok, maybe not entirely stupid. :p lol. don't EVER interupt Alice when she's sleeping. o.O (may result in serious injury) lol. mmmm salad. :3 lol. there may be another upload later in the day, depends if i have nothing else to do. lol. so like read, review, and stuffs. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	30. Stranger Things Have Happened

_Shun_

I only obtained four or five hours of sleep that night, for what reason, I don't know. But when I woke up, it was maybe seven in the morning, and I heard the shower in my bathroom running. _Alice must be in there._ I double check and saw she wasn't anywhere in my room. I then got a devious idea to get her back for all the evil jokes she had pulled on me.

I knelt down next to the doorknob to the bathroom, and slid in a knife I got from the kitchen and unlocked the door. Being very careful not to make any noise, I walked over to the toilet, and pushed down the handle and ran out of the bathroom. I heard Alice squeal as I dove back into the bed, making it appear I had never gotten out.

I opened my eye enough to see her stomp out with a towel wrapped around her. "Shun Kazami! I know you did that!" I tried to refrain from laughing, but failed and actually rolled off the bed and onto the wood floor. She scrunched up her nose and stepped back into the bathroom, and returned with the cup that I used for a rinse cup, and it was filled with water.

I backed up against the bed and said, "N-now Alice. I was just kidding around. Don't do nothing crazy now." Her eyes were narrowed on me, and she the tossed the cup of water on me, and my body was soaked in ice cold water. "Ah! That's cold! That's cold!" She grinned and reached into the bathroom and tossed me a towel. "Next time think twice before you do something stupid. And clean up the water on the floor too." I growled and started mopping up the water, scared of what she'd do if I didn't.

_Alice_

After dowsing Shun with a cold glass of water, I returned to my shower, making sure he couldn't get back in. I stepped out and dried off with my towel, then slid on my purple dress. My hair was still dripped water as I wrapped it up into the same towel. _That's better._ I removed the things I used to keep the door closed and Shun out, and stepped into his room to see him still on the floor mopping up the water.

"Have you learned your lesson?" He glared up at me and said, "If by lesson you mean don't play a joke on you and let you play jokes on me, then yes." I held my head up and smiled. "Very good." I walked over to the door when he said, "Hey! I was being sarcastic!"

I ran down the stairs and called back to him, "What! I can't hear you over the sound of me winning!" I giggled and stepped into the kitchen for something to drink. _Hmmm….I guess I should drink that last little bit of orange juice before it goes to waste._ I pulled out the carton of juice and poured it into a small glass.

Shun then walked into the kitchen, his clothes still damp from the water I splashed on him. He glared at me as he sat down next to me at the table. I snickered as he rolled his eyes at me. I could already tell it was going to be a long day, just by seeing on the clock that it was a little past nine. Shun stood up and stretched his body. "Where ya going?"

He looked at me and said, "I honestly have no clue. You got anything you'd prefer to do?" I thought for a minute about that. _Seems like every time we go outside something bad happens. But I cant stay cooped up in this house forever. Besides, it'll get our minds off of some things._ "How bout we go to the street fair that's going on?" _I had almost forgotten about that._ "Sure. Why not. I just need to get changed and we can go." I smiled as he left the kitchen and made his way up the stairs. In no time, Shun walked back down in his usual outfit; his green and white shirt and his khaki pants. "Ready to go, Alice?" I nodded and walked out the door with him.

_Shun_

Alice gave me the directions to the street fair, and they couldn't of picked a better day to have it. The sun was shining, and the weather was just right. _If only the pollen count wasn't getting so damn high._ We pulled into the parking area for the street fair, and got out of the car. _Damn, I should of taken some kind of allergy medicine before we came here. _My head was beginning to throb, and Alice must of noticed.

"You ok?" I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, just a headache. I'll live though." She didn't argue as we walked down the street looking at the vendors selling jewelry and t-shirts. _Maybe I should get her something. But none of this stuff seems like her style, but hey, it's the though that counts. Right?_ I turned around and saw Alice was walking down the street. She called out to me, "Hey! You just gunna stand there or what?" I sighed and ran after her.

_Alice_

The sun was starting to set, and the fair was quieting down from all the noise of people. Shun and I were sitting on a bench, just watching people walk by and back to their cars. I looked at Shun, who seemed to be dying. "Allergies?" He nodded his head and mumbled something. I looked around the street for a drug store.

_There's gotta be one around her somewhere. There's one usually on every freaking street._ I finally found one that seemed to be at least a block away. "Hang on, Shun. I'll be back in a minute." He didn't say anything, and I ran towards the store. When I walked inside, a little bell chimed when it was hit by the door. The store smelled of medicine and other doctor related things. "Hello, you need any help looking for something?"

I followed where the voice was coming from, and saw an old man behind the counter, who had an extremely thick Russian accent, even for being in Russia. "Uh, yeah. I just need some over the counter allergy medicine." The old man shuffled over to one of the shelves, and pulled out a box of off brand allergy meds. "Here ya go." I paid and thanked him, then ran out of the store and back to Shun.

He was still on the bench, his head leaned back, and arms crossed. I sat next to him and said, "Here. Take these." He looked at them, and didn't hesitate to take them. He swallowed the pills without any water, and he leaned his head back again and said, "Now, all I do is wait for them to kick in….You did get non-drowsy, right?"

My eyes widened as I double checked the box. _Do not drive or operate machinery. May cause drowsiness._ _Pills may take effect anywhere from 5-10 minutes._ I quickly looked at Shun and smiled innocently. "You didn't get non-drowsy, did you?" I shook my head, still smiling. He sighed and said, "Well, I better get in the car before you have to drag me into it." Shun stood up on his feet, stumbling as the meds were kicking in, and we walked back towards the car.

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><p>ALWAYS check the label on the meds. o.o lol. i was on partial writers block during this one. -.- im not sure if i squeaked this one out good enough or what. i guess that's up to you, the reader. :p lol. i dont know if there'll be another upload tonight or not, but there will b one 2morrow, as usual unless the world implodes. P.S. i am aware it's shorter than the past ones, but i was really running on fumes. READ, REVIEW, AND SO FORTH! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	31. Side Effects May Include Insanity

_Shun_

_Ugh….God, where am I?_ I forced my eyes open and saw I was laying in my bed. _How the hell did I get here? _The last thing I remembered was that I was with Alice at some street fair, and she got me some allergy meds, and that's it. My body was still groggy as I sat up in my bed. I then took in a deep breath and yelled.

"Alice!" I heard somebody running up the stairs, and Alice busted through the door. "Shun! What the hell!" I yawned and acted as if nothing happened. I told her in a still sleepy voice, "Could you explain to me how the hell I got here?" She glared at me and said, "Well, the allergy meds knocked you out on the drive back to the house, so I dragged you up here. By the way, I'm putting you on a diet."

I fell back onto my bed and said, "Thanks, that's all I wanted to know. Also, do you smell something burning?" Alice's eyes widened and she ran out of my room. I heard her yelling, "Dammit!" I leaned up and called out to her, "What is it?" She growled and yelled back, "Shut it and go back to sleep!" I shrugged and responded with, "Ok." I situated myself back under my blanket and went back to sleep.

_Shun_

When I woke up this go-round, I was more alert and aware of what was going on. I walked down the stairs, only stumbling once as the meds finished wearing off, and found a certain orange haired girl in the kitchen. "Hey, Alice." She glared at me and said, "Cause of you I practically burned the food!" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "In my defense, I was basically some form of high or drunk from the meds you gave me. So you can't pin this on me."

I then had a sponge used to clean dishes thrown at me, The yellow sponge only bounced off my head and onto the floor. "And what was that supposed to accomplished?" She narrowed her eyes and said, "I don't know, but it made me feel better and calmed down my desire to strangle you."

I laughed and sat at the table and asked her, "So, what are we having oh great cook?" She was stirring something in a skillet and said, "Well, cause somebody made me run upstairs cause they yelled my name and I thought they were hurt, we're having slightly Cajun chicken." She referred to the chicken as Cajun because it was slightly burnt, meaning it got pretty hot at one point while cooking. I laughed again, and ducked a second sponge she threw at me. "Well, somebody's in a mood."

She rolled her eyes and continued stirring. I then remembered what day it was. "Hey, Alice. I just remembered, today's your grandfather's funeral." She stopped stirring, and stared at the skillet. "Yeah. I know." _I shouldn't of brought that up._ While we were eating, there was an awkward silence between us, but that eventually broke when we finished. The two of us were just sitting in the living room watching TV when I decided to try and cheer her up some. She looked down at my hand, which I had placed on her leg, and told me, "Not tonight. I need a break."

I pretended to whine, and sounded strangely like Dan. _Ok, never EVER do that again._ I ignored it and said, "Aw, don't be a kill joy." Alice rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not. I think I just need a break for at lest ONE night." I put on my evil grin and leaned closer to her, and said smoothly, "Aw, ok. So, can I at least do this?" I then grabbed her on her side, making her squeal. "I told you I was ticklish! Stop it! I can't breathe!" She was incapable of completing sentences due to her laughter, and I knew if I stopped, I'd probably get hit.

Alice was now on the floor, still laughing. "Say uncle, and I'll stop." She didn't hesitate, and she forced out the words. "Uncle! Uncle!" I stopped tickling her, and she sat up trying to catch her breath, and wiping the tears from her eyes. "You know, I really hate you at times." I smiled cockily and told her, "Aw. Love you too." She punched me in the arm with her fist, and it actually kind of hurt. "Ow. Easy now, I'm very delicate and bruise easily." Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah right. But just for tickling me, I'm taking the whole WEEK off. I need some water." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. _Whole week off. Yeah right. We'll see how long you can last._

_Alice_

After Shun nearly caused me to die, I went a guzzled down a glass of water. _I swear, he's lucky I love him, or else I would of tied him up and thrown him into the trunk of my car a long time ago._ A set of hands the wrapped around me eyes, and I knew it was Shun. "What are you doing now?" I was glaring at him underneath his hands.

"How'd you know it was me?" I removed his hands from my eyes and looked at him. "Well, for starters, you're the only one in the house besides me." He rolled his eyes and said, "I could have been some kind of robber, or murderer." I narrowed my eyes and asked him, "Are you still a little off from those meds? Cause you're acting completely insane." He shrugged his shoulders and told me, "Eh, perhaps. Why? You like me insane?" He wrapped his arms around me, and we rocked back and forth. "Well, it's certainly a different side of you. Not sure if I liked you tickling me to death though." He chuckled and kissed me on my lips.

_Shun_

Alice was laying next to me in the bed, and I was holding my head high in victory with my hands behind my head. "What was it you said about having a whole week off as my punishment?" She glared at me and hit me in my chest, causing me to fall off the bed and onto the floor. "Shut up." I sat on the wood floor and laughed. _Ha! I won._

_Alice_

I hated that I gave in to Shun last night, cause I knew that would only make him more cocky. _As if Mr. Hotshot wasn't enough already._ Shun then randomly slid into the kitchen, and past me. "What are you doing now?" He stopped himself by grabbing onto a cabinet door I left open, and said, "I just felt like making a grand entrance."

I rolled my eyes. _What the hell was in those allergy pills? And when will it wear off?_ He walked up behind me, and I felt his arms wrap around my waist again. _Not again._ I then felt his grip loosen, and he walked over to the table, and laid his head down. "Shun?" He groaned. "Ugh. My head." I couldn't help it, and I jumped up in joy. "Yes! Finally! It wore off and I have Shun back!" Shun looked up at me and gave me a _What the hell is your problem? _look. Shun shook his head and laid it back down.

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><p>XD -falls over- CAN'T BREATHE! lol. was bored, so i uploaded. so, yeah. that be it. Read, review, and stuff. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	32. Grocery Store

_Alice_

I opened the fridge, and sighed. Shun cocked his eyebrow and asked, "What's up?" I closed the fridge and looked at him. "We're running low on food. And some other necessities." Shun looked at the fridge, then back to me. "Are you worried we don't have enough money for food?" I shook my head.

"No, I just hate grocery shopping. The only grocery store in this part of town is so crowded. I mean, it's not like Wal-mart. The parking lot is so small and packed that a fly couldn't even get through there." Shun suddenly stood up and said, "I can go and get the stuff. It wouldn't be a problem." _He doesn't know what he's getting himself into. But this could be a good life lesson for him. _I asked him, "Are you sure?"

He smiled, and I could tell he was full of confidence. "Yeah. Besides, I know where it is cause I had to pick you up there from work one day." I didn't argue with him, and handed the grocery list over. "Now only get what's on the list. If you get anything else, it comes out of your pocket. Not mine." He rolled his eyes and told me with just a tad bit too much hubris, "I got it. I got it. Have some faith in me." I kissed him on the cheek as he walked out the door and to the car. I smirked as he drove off. _He's bit off more than he can chew this time._

_Shun_

I was about a mile or so from the store, and I had just put in my Three Days Grace CD in the radio. I turned down a street, whose name I could pronounce to save my life, and saw the grocery store. I had never been inside, only at the edge of the parking lot on days when Alice needed a ride home, but even then the store was closed for the night. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw how packed the parking lot was during store hours.

Cars were basically mirror to mirror, and bumper to bumper. _How the hell am I gunna find a spot to park? _A few cars were parking across the street in an automotive parts store. _Looks like that's where I'm parking._ I quickly turned the car into the auto parts store, and locked the door as I got out. _Now to just cross the street without dying._ When there was finally an opening in the traffic, I darted across and was in the grocery store's parking lot.

It almost seemed like I would have to climb over the cars to get to the store. I finally got up to the door, and pushed it open and stepped inside. It had that basic, cold grocery store air conditioner. I pulled the folded list out of my pocket. _Ok, let's see what I need to find. Chicken, bread, eggs, etc. _I looked up at the signs that hung from the ceiling telling you what kind of items were on that aisle. _I guess we should start at aisle one._ I grabbed one of the store's small carts, and started that way.

_Alice_

I glanced up at the clock, and smiled. _Shun's probably just started going down one of the aisles. Specially since the store's having their annual Labor Day sale._ I was happy that I never had to work on a Monday, and really happy I never had to work on a holiday except New Years' Day, but even on that day everybody is so drunk and wasted they couldn't get through the doors.

It was almost like watching a fly hit the window in you car cause he's trying to get out. It's funny, but somewhat sad. I was wiping down the kitchen counters, just thinking about different things. People always wondered why I was such a neat freak, when actually, I just did my thinking when I cleaned.

That way, I could keep the house clean while keeping my thoughts to myself. It was a win-win scenario. The hour hand on the clock was slowly approaching eight. _It'll be ten or eleven at night before Shun even gets home, and I'll probably be sleeping._ After I could see my reflection in the countertop, I tossed the rag in the bucket under the sink that we used for just that purpose. I yawned and decided to turn into bed early. _Shun won't disturb me if he sees I'm already asleep._

_Shun_

It was like fighting through a hurricane just to get from one aisle to the next. The store was so crowded, that I was wondering how come it didn't implode from the massive amounts of people. I was finally on the last item of my list, and it was a little past nine. _Now all I need to do is check out and…._ I almost screamed when I saw that only two registers were ringing people up, and they had what seemed to be twenty people in each line, with groceries overflowing from their shopping carts.

I growled and found a spot in one of the lines. _How the hell can all these people be so happy? This place is torture!_ I placed my elbows on my cart, and put my weight on them. I was now halfway to the register, and it only took thirty minutes or so. _Another thirty minutes and I'll be out of this hell hole._ My estimate was right, and in thirty minutes, it was my turn to check out. Standing behind the register, was a blonde girl that looked about Alice's age.

She rang up all my groceries and typed in a few more things, then the cost of everything popped up on a little screen thing. "That'll be 45.67 please." I sighed and pulled out the money Alice gave me, and handed it to the girl. She opened the cash register, and pursed her lips. "Is there a problem?" She closed her eyes tightly and smiled. "No, I just need to get some more change. I'll be back in a jiffy!"

The little blonde skipped off somewhere in the store. _You're kidding me._ I sat there another ten minutes, before she returned with a roll of pennies. She banged them on the counter and broke the tube, then poured the pennies into their compartment. I sighed. The blonde cashier then handed me back my change, which consisted of three dollars, and one penny. "Thank you. Come back again." I growled as I exited the store. _Hell no I ain't coming back again._

_Alice_

I was in that state of half awake, and half asleep when I heard the front door slam open. I shot up, not even realizing it was Shun, and grabbed a pillow and tip toed down the stairs. I saw the figure of somebody in the kitchen, and ran in there and began hitting the person relentlessly with the pillow.

"Alice! What the hell! Alice! Stop it! Dammit! It's me!" I opened my eyes and stopped swinging the pillow, and saw Shun shielding himself with his hands, and laying on the floor. I dropped the pillow and covered my mouth with my hands. "Oh my god, Shun! I'm so sorry! I was asleep and forgot you were still at the store!"

He shook his head and stood up, brushing himself off. He sighed, and I could tell the trip to the store had gotten on his last nerve, and I didn't help much either. "How about you help me put up the groceries since you beat the shit out of me with that pillow?" I nodded and dug in the plastic grocery bags, and started putting the items up, apologizing to Shun every few seconds.

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><p>o.o who knew a pillow could be used as a weapon. o.O lol. thank heavens for Labor Day weekend. X3 shame we're being hit by that tropical storm Lee or whatever, but it looks like it's passing. yay. :p thanks to the sotrm now, it feels nice. X3 lol. so like read, review, and other wonderful things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	33. Perfect Melody

_Shun_

After Alice and I finished putting groceries up last night, I went straight up to the room and went to sleep. I had left Alice in the kitchen without warning, and once she realized I had gone to bed, she crawled in next to me. "Goodnight, Shun." I only mumbled and rolled over on my side. After that trip to the store, I was completely exhausted. I never woke up once that night, and even slept through my alarm.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw it was almost noon, and Alice wasn't in the room. _Well, I'm sure she's been up for a while._ When I placed my feet on the floor, I felt something paper like under me. I lifted my foot and found a note with Alice's handwriting on it. _Hey, Shun. I had to work today, and when I was leaving you were still asleep, and I didn't want to disturb you. Love, Alice._ I folded the note and placed it on the nightstand next to the alarm clock. I then changed from my clothes that I had slept in, and into something new.

_Looks like I'm gunna have to do my laundry soon. I'm running out of shirts._ I walked around in the empty house, just looking around at the same things I had seen everyday. When I grew tired of walking, I went into the kitchen and sat at the table. There was this gnawing feeling inside me that you get when you're in a big place all by yourself. _There's got to be something I can do to keep myself amused. _I didn't want to watch TV, or read any of the books that were in the den, and I certainly didn't want to text Dan cause I was still pissed off at him for texting me in the middle of the night to get help with his Facebook.

There was no point in me listening to my iPod, because I had heard the same songs over, and over again. I walked into the living room, and laid back on the couch, resting the back of my head in my hands. Once I was comfortable, I let out a long, and aggravated, sigh. _I'm dying from boredom. Hope you're happy, Alice. I'm gunna die cause you aren't here._ I dug around in some boxes that were placed in the corner of the living room, and found some old TV Guide magazines. _I guess I have nothing better to do._

I flipped through the outdated magazines, and only read articles that had headlines that caught my attention, which weren't many. Once I got tired enough of the magazines, I went and explored more of the house. I had been in every part of the house except the part of the hallway that had Dr. Michaels' room on it. One reason was before he died, I really didn't want to go nosing around in there, and another is now he is dead and that seemed kind of wrong to go into a dead man's room. _But hey, the house belongs to me and Alice now, right? It shouldn't be a problem._

There was that weird feeling you get when you go into the room of a person who died. Like, there's some kind of empty void that takes your breath away. I opened the door, and the recently unlived in room was cold and dark. I flipped the light switch on, and saw it was just the room of an old person. It had the god ugly comforters on the bed, and lamps with discolored shades on them. The room itself though, was probably the size of my room, and Alice's combined, and, of course, it contained the master bathroom.

My eyes then fell upon something in the corner of the room, and was partially covered with a thin blanket. I threw the blanket off the item, and saw there was an old acoustic guitar. _I didn't know Dr. Michaels played. Alice probably doesn't know either._ I wiped some of the dust off the string instrument, and took a good look at it. I couldn't tell if the guitar was made with cherry or oak, but it was a beautiful, dark color.

I saw under the strings and in the inside of the guitar, that it was a Gibson brand. From what I knew about guitars, I saw the model year number was anywhere from 1972-1986. _It's hard to believe one this old is in such good condition. Michaels took really good care of it throughout his years._ The strings looked brand new, which could of meant he restrung it before he passed away. I chose a string, and gently strummed it.

_It's perfectly in tune. He had to of done some work on it recently._ I was restraining myself from picking up the guitar and playing a few chords just for the heck of it. _I'd hate for Alice to come home early from work and see me playing on it, and her get made because I went into her grandfather's room. _I sighed, and covered the musical masterpiece up with the blanket like it was when I found it. I got up from the position I had knelt down in, and began walking out of the room. I glanced back at the guitar, then flipped out the light.

_Alice_

It was one of those rare days where the store didn't get many costumers. The manager, a shaggy, blonde haired guy in at least his early twenties, looked around the store. "Alice. How about you and Lindsey take off early today? I think I can handle the store for the rest of the day." Lindsey, a little blonde, that was about my age, and not that bright, jumped up. She scooped up her purse from behind the register, and ran out of the door to her car. I rolled my eyes and clocked out for me and her.

"Thanks, Mr. Allen. It was getting boring for a minute there." He told me it was no problem, and I walked out to my car. The parking lot, that was usually jam packed, only showed a few cars in it. On the drive back home, and started wondering if Shun found the note I left, or if he was still sleeping in the same place that I'd left him. _Well, I'll find out in a minute._ I pulled into the driveway, and without all the snow crunching under my tires, my arrival was fairly quiet.

I turned the car off, grabbing my things as I got out, and walked into the house. The house wasn't exactly silent when I entered. The speaker system that went with the TV were playing music, and Shun was sitting upside down on the couch listening. "What in the world are you doing?" Shun looked up at me, and flipped himself right side up. "Hey! You're back!" He had the expression of a puppy dog that was happy to see somebody after being left alone all day. I found it kind of cute. "Yep. I'm back. Why were you sitting like that?"

Shun shrugged and said, "I was bored and decided to see if listening to music upside down changed anything…..It only give you a headache from being upside down." I laughed and rolled my eyes while placing my car keys in its little bowl. Shun got off the couch and hugged me. "So, how was your day?" I told him, "Pretty boring. There was barely anyone at the store today." I heard a muted growl from Shun. "Why the hell couldn't we of gotten groceries today?" I shrugged my shoulders, and took off my shoes, keeping my socks on. I always liked the was my feet slid around on the hard wood floor. Shun then asked me a sudden question. "Did your grandfather ever play guitar?" I turned and looked at him like he was crazy.

"He told me when I was little that he took a few lessons when he was younger, but I've never heard or seen him play. Why?" Shun kind of glanced upstairs before saying, "Well, I was bored and decided to just walk around the house, and I went in Michaels' room. And found this really old guitar. Please don't be mad." _Grandfather….Had a guitar?_ I then looked up at where his room was and told Shun, "I'm not mad. How about you show it to me." His eyes showed he was surprised I wasn't pissed and throwing something at him. We walked up the stairs, and stood in front of my grandfather's door. _It's been a while since I'd been in here._

Shun was the first one inside, and he went immediately to something covered by a blanket. "That's the guitar? I remember seeing the blanket when I was maybe five, but didn't know there was anything under it." Shun removed the blanket, and then reveled a gorgeous acoustic guitar. I didn't say anything, and just gazed at it. "Wait a minute!" Shun kind of jumped at my sudden outburst. I ran out of the room, and into mine.

I heard Shun call out to me. "Alice! Where are you going?" I dug through a box under my bed, and found what I was looking for. I ran back into my grandfather's room, and placed the item on the bed. Shun looked at it with a quizzical look. "What is that? A photo album?" I nodded and flipped through the plastic covered pages until I found a certain picture. "Here, Shun! Tell me if this looks familiar."

Shun stared at the old picture. "That's the guitar. And what looks like your grandfather when he was young. But the girl holding the guitar…..Looks like you." I smiled and said, "You're right about the guitar, and my grandfather, but not the girl. That's my grandmother.

This was the picture of them the day after their wedding, and if I remember right, grandfather gave her that guitar for a wedding present. He's kept it all these years." We both looked at the guitar, and back at the picture. "Your grandmother was very beautiful, Alice. Just like you." I smiled and closed the album.

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><p>i just kept writing. and writing. and writing. lol. then i saw i had writen five pages on miscrosoft word. lol. cheese danishes are good for inspiration. lol. omg, i saw this thing on facebook that said writing is a socially acceptable form of schitzophrenia! XD lol too funny. well, read, review, and other things. I'll upload bout the same time tomorrow. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	34. Stormfront

_Shun_

Alice and I walked back downstairs, and into the living room. "So, what to do now?" Alice looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. I don't really want to cook tonight…..Wanna go out to eat, or order in?" I told her, "Sure. Why not?" Alice flipped through a phonebook, and found a few restaurants near us. "Hmmm. How about Italian? Or Chinese?" I sat down on the couch and said, "It doesn't matter to me. So, you pick." She looked at the page, weighting her options, before finally saying, "Well, I've been wanting some lasagna for a while now. So, I guess it's Italian."

I nodded my head, half listening, and half zoning out for some reason. Maybe I was bored still. Alice poked me on the shoulder, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You coming or not?" She had her purse draped over her shoulder, and car keys in hand. "Oh! Yeah. Let me just put my shoes on and grab a jacket." She rolled her eyes at me and I clumsily tried putting on a shoe and my jacket at the same time. "You're not wonder boy. You know that, right? You're human just like everyone else."

I glared at her, and finally got the two items on. It was my turn to drive, so I climbed in the driver's seat. It wasn't difficult to find the restaurant, since it was the only building with a huge red sign that said _Polly's Authentic Italian Cuisine._ We pulled into the parking lot, which had a fairly large crowd.

_They must be pretty good._ Alice adjusted some loose hairs on her head as we walked into the building. Standing behind the podium, was a guy that looked oddly like Dan. "This way to your table." _He sure doesn't have Dan's obnoxious voice, or his manners. So, this is definitely not Dan. _He placed me and Alice at a booth, and brought us a menu, and asked what we wanted to drink. Both of us ordered a glass of water, which was brought out to us along with a basket of breadsticks. Alice took one and said, "They have the best breadsticks in town. In fact, they are the best Italian Eatery in town."

_I thought they were the only one…._ I tried one of the breadsticks, and had to admit they were pretty good, for bread. We glanced over the menu, but I already knew what Alice was going to get. The Dan look-alike then walked over to us with a notepad in hand. "Are we ready to order?" Just as I though, Alice ordered their lasagna, and I just ordered a plate of spaghetti since I wasn't big on Italian. I took a sip of my water, then observed the building. It was a mixture of reds and browns with plants hanging from the ceiling, and fake vines stapled on the wall.

If you focused over the sound of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen, you could hear Italian music playing over the speakers. "Shun? You're being awfully quiet." Alice's voice startled me, and I smiled at her. "I was just looking around." She nodded her head and took another breadstick. Our waiter then came to our table with two plates in hand. He placed Alice's order down first, then mine. "Enjoy." Alice cut off a corner of the lasagna, and put it in her mouth. "God, I love their lasagna. Here, you should try some."

I waved my hand, turning down her offer. I placed my napkin on the table, and stood up. "Where ya going, Shun?" I looked at her and said, "I'm just going to the bathroom. I think I got something stuck in my eye." I pretended to try and rub something out. "Ah. Well, ok." _I hate to use that as an excuse, but I need to get some fresh air._ I went through the doors we came through, and felt the cool night air hit my skin.

The air wasn't as fresh as I though, cause somebody was a few feet down from me smoking a cigarette. _Ew. How can anyone do that? _I walked a little further down, to where I couldn't smell the smoke. _Shame I can't stay out here too long._ _It feels nice._ I stood out there for a few more minutes, before heading back in the restaurant. Alice had finished her meal, and I glanced at my half eaten spaghetti. "You get whatever was in your eye out?"

I looked at her and wondered what she was talking about, before remembering the little lie I told her to get out of the restaurant. "Oh, uh, yeah. It was just a piece of dust I guess." I sat down back in my seat. "You gunna eat anymore?" I looked back at my plate, and told her, "Not right now. I'll see if I can take it home."

Dan's total opposite walked over to our booth, and handed us a check. I asked him if I could get a to-go box, and he quickly returned with one. I slid the food into the box, and closed the tabs. After we paid for our meal, we stepped outside. I looked up at the sky, that was clear a minute ago, and now was full of dark clouds. _Even with it being nighttime, these clouds make it even darker out here._ Alice must of noticed them as well, cause she said, "Looks like there's gunna be a big storm come through. We better hurry home. I don't like driving in the rain."

We pulled out of the parking lot, and drove back towards the house. There were darker rain clouds in the direction we were heading. _It's probably raining at the house right now._ I then saw a little wet drop of water fall on the windshield, which was followed by another, and another, and another. Soon, the entire windshield was being covered with rain. Alice made a whining noise and tightened her seatbelt. "Don't worry. It'll be ok." I brightened the headlights, and turned the wipers on high. The rain was coming down so hard, that I could only see a few feet in front of me.

_I better slow down._ I reduced the car's speed, making sure that I wasn't going too slow. I glanced back at Alice, who was spazing out still. _I can't blame her for being scared. This storm is pretty bad._ It took us another twenty minutes, but we finally arrived back to the house, safe and sound. I handed my jacket to Alice so she wouldn't get as wet from the rain. "But Shun, what about you?" I told her I wouldn't be bothered if I got a little wet.

She didn't say anything else, and threw the jacket over her head, then darted for the door. I got out of the car and followed behind her. We walked back in the house, which for some reason we left on freezing cold. I looked at Alice, who was just a little wet, but my jacket looked like it came out of the washing machine. I on the other hand, looked like I swam through a lake. The two of us were getting chills, and I quickly ran to the thermostat and turned the heat up. It wasn't much, but it made a noticeable difference.

Since I was still dripping wet, unlike Alice, I took off my shirt and tossed it on my soaked jacket. Alice looked at me and said, "Quit showing off." I rolled my eyes and said, "Whatever." My teeth were slightly chattering, and I had my arms wrapped around me to try and get warm. "I'm gunna go get into something warmer….And dryer." I ran upstairs into me room, and just pulled a dirty shirt and pair of pants. _I don't care what I have on, I want to get warm dammit. _I was still shivering a little, but not as bad as I was a few minutes ago.

_Where the hell did this storm come from?_ I stepped off the last few stairs, when there was a _vroom _like sound, and the power cut off. I couldn't see anything around me, but the house was lit up when a flash a lightning cut through the sky. I the heard Alice scream. "Shun! Where are you!" I couldn't tell if she was in the living room, the kitchen, or the den. "I think I'm in the living room! Where are you!"

We had to yell due to the howling winds outside. "I'm in the kitchen!" I felt around furniture with my hands, and found the doorway to the kitchen. Just as if on cue, another flash of lightning flashed, and I saw Alice sitting where two cabinets came together to make a corner. I ran over and knelt beside her. "Alice, I'm here." I could hear her crying. _Damn, I knew she wasn't a big fan of storms, but I didn't think it was this bad._ "You want to try and make your way up to the room?" I could tell she was shaking her head back and forth. "No!" I jerked back a little and sat next to her, bringing her close to me for comfort. _This is going to be horrible night._

_Shun_

I opened my eyes, and saw I was still in the kitchen, and Alice was leaned against me sleeping. _She must of calmed down or cried herself to sleep last night._ I could tell it wasn't dark outside anymore, and there want any sounds of wind or rain wailing. I got up slowly, and picked Alice up. She only made a small noise as I placed her on the couch in the living room, and covered her up with a quilt that was placed on the back of the couch. I opened the door and stepped outside.

It felt freezing cold, and the sky was covered in light gray clouds. There was no more rain, but the front yard was covered with puddles. There were also several fallen trees scattered around the house, but luckily nothing was damaged. Not even our cars. I stepped back inside, where it was warm, and checked the light switches for power. _Dammit. Power is still out._

I turned and saw Alice was sitting up on the couch. I walked over to her and rubbed her back. "Shun?" She was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Hey, babe. You ok?" She nodded, but still looked like a frightened little kid. "I'm gunna go check the rooms for any water damage. I'll be right back."

I left out of the living room, and checked all the closets, bathrooms, and bedrooms for any leaking spots in the ceiling. _Ok, this one's clean too._ Not a single room had a leak in it. I went back to the living room, and saw Alice was still on the couch, but looking out a window that was ten feet away from her.

There was then a knock at the door. _I've got an idea who this is._ I opened the door, and Uncle Fredrick was standing there. "Hey guys. I saw on the news last night that huge storm that was heading your way, and I came to see if you two were ok." He looked at me, and then Alice. "I'm fine except from the lack of sleep. It's her I'm worried about."

He walked over to Alice, and patted her on the back. "She's never really handled bad storms very well. She'll be back to normal in about an hour. Just give her some time to calm down." I nodded and thanked him for his concern, and he left without closing the door behind him.

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><p>wow. longest chapter yet! :o lol. without the noth down here, it was 2,005 words. XP lol. aw. i rans outa sunflower seeds. -.-'' lol. well, same old same old. no upload friday unless i cant get to sleep. possibly a late, late, LATE upload saturday. and same for sunday. busy busy busy. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	35. Graditude and Phobias

_Shun_

I was sitting outside, on the concrete steps that I had passed out on months ago. _So much has changed. Feels just like yesterday I was still up in my room, and Alice was taking care of me…..Thanks, Fabia. Cause without you, I would of never found Alice, and we would of never been together and had all these great times together._ I knew it sounded strange that I was thanking Fabia, but it's true.

If me and her never had that fight, I would of never run off and gotten lost. I chuckled. _Funny how things work out._ I looked up at the sky, that was still painted light gray with clouds. A lone bird was the only thing up against the skyline. _That used to be me….Flying by myself…Trying to find my path…._ Soon, the rest of the flock came flying by, and the lone bird joined them. _And now he's been found, and knows who he is, and where his place in this world is._ I heard the doorknob behind me click, and Alice stepped out.

"I thought I'd find you out here." I smiled at her as she sat next to me on the cold, wet concrete. She took in a deep breath of air, and smiled. "I will admit, storms scare the hell out of me. But the world always seems cleaner and new after a storm." I placed my right foot in a small puddle of water that was in front of me, and I watched as the calm water turned into a ripple. I could feel Alice's eyes staring a hole through me.

"You're quiet. Well, more quiet than usual." I smiled and chuckled again. "Just thinking. That's all…Just thinking." A gust of wind blew in our direction, and a little green leaf from one of the trees landed between me and Alice. Ironically enough, the leaf looked like a tiny green heart. I looked at it till another breeze came by, carrying the leaf off to somewhere else. The gray sky was then shattered by a harsh light shining through the clouds. Alice stood up and held her arms out. "Look Shun! The sun's back out!" I could see the rays filtering through mist, and it looked just like the clouds opened a path up to the sun. Alice basked in the sunlight for a few seconds, before sighing contently. "That was nice. I think I'm gunna go back inside. What about you?"

I looked up at her, and said, "I think I'll stay out here a little bit longer. If that's ok with you." She told me she didn't mind, and went back into the house. My eyes went towards the direction of the woods, where I had found that creek before all the snow and ice had completely melted away. I stood up, and walked that way. My ears quickly detected the sound of water, and what I found wasn't a creek anymore. It was a small lake. _Dang. This whole thing was frozen over a month ago._

I walked to the edge of the bank, and looked across to the other side, where there seemed to be twice as many trees. I then looked down, and at my reflection in the water. I looked…._different_ somehow. _Maybe my hairs grown out more….No, that's not it._ I then realized what it was. This was the first time I had really seen myself happy. My usual expression of being serious was nowhere to be found.

Even my eyes weren't as sharp and narrowed. It was kind of weird for me to look at myself like this. I knelt down by the water, being sure not to get the knees of my pants covered with mud, and examined my reflection more carefully. The image was then distorted by a dragonfly that had landed right on the water where my reflection was. I stood up, and faced back to where the house was. _I better get back before Alice notices I'm not there. I'd hate to make her worry._ But that was short-lived because I heard something whining in the brush. I couldn't see what it was, I could only hear it. Glancing back at the house one last time, I began walking towards the sound.

_Shun_

I had walked a good distance before I finally saw a bush rustling. _I need to be careful. There's no telling what it could be. _I quietly approached the bush, then stretched my neck enough to look over. There, tangled up in some old, rusted barbed wire, was a small wolf pup. I took a step back. _I didn't know there were any wolves around in this area. I wonder where its pack is. I'd hate for them to find him and see me and think that I was trying to hurt him._ I glanced around the area. _Well, I cant just leave him here. _

I sighed, and walked around the bush. The pup saw me and began yelping and only making the matter worse. I knelt down, showing I wasn't a threat, and said in a calming voice, "Calm down. I'm gunna help you get out of this mess." The pup looked at me as if it understood what I had just told him. I reached for a piece of barbwire, and began untangling the animal. My hands were being covered with the pup's gray, blood matted fur.

There was one more loop to undo. "How did you manage to get this all over you?" I must of touched a tender spot, because the pup jerked back, causing one of the barbs to dig into the palm of my hand. "Shit!" I pulled back quickly, shaking my hand and cursing. The gray pup then started getting skittish again, and I quickly removed the last of the wire before he got caught up in it again.

It took him a minute to realize he was free, before he darted off somewhere in the woods. I stared at the direction he ran off to, before remembering my bleeding hand. _Damn, I better hurry up and get this thing cleaned off._ I tore off a piece of my shirt, and wrapped it around my hand. _Lucky me. This is one of my old shirts._ I was then running back to the house. _Alice is going to have a fit when she sees this._

_Alice_

Dusk was falling over the house, and Shun was still outside to the best of my knowledge. He then opened the door, and stepped inside. My eyes fell on his hand, that was wrapped up with a piece of his shirt and blood-soaked. "Shun! What the hell did you do?"He hurried into the kitchen and turned the sink on, then unwrapped his hand and stuck it under the running water. "Shun. What did you do to your hand?" He took in a sharp breath as the water flushed through the cut. "I cut it on a piece of barbwire. Ow! Dammit that hurts!" I rolled my eyes, and ran into the bathroom to get some peroxide we had bought just for cases like this.

I poured some onto a paper towel, and took Shun's hand. "This is going to sting." He couldn't protest quick enough before I connected the paper towel to his wound. "OW! SHIT! THAT HURTS!" I ignored Shun's cursing and dabbed the towel on the cut. "I told you it would sting." He clenched his teeth and said, "Sting! This doesn't sting! It hurts like hell!" I looked at the bloodstained paper towel, and threw it into the trash can. "Was the barbwire rusty?" Shun was biting his bottom lip to cope with the pain. "Yeah. Just a bit."

I sighed and grabbed the house phone, and began calling Uncle Fredrick. Shun was clenching at his wrist and asked me, "Who are you calling?" I answered him before the my uncle picked up his phone. "I'm calling my uncle. You're gunna need a tetanus shot." The color in Shun's face completely drained away. "Sh-shot? Like, with a needle?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah. That's the only kind there is, isn't it?" The phone was still ringing, and Shun was now laughing nervously. "What's the matter with you?" He sat at the table in the kitchen, and I could see his hands and legs shaking. "I'm not a big fan of needles." I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Well, you should of thought twice before you went and got cut by that barbwire." My uncle finally picked up the phone. "Hey Uncle Fredrick…..Listen, Shun cut himself on a piece of rusty barbwire, and he probably needs a tetanus shot….Ok, I'll see ya soon."

I put the phone down, and Shun looked like he was about to puke. "Oh quit being so dramatic. It's only a little needle." He glared at me and said, "I didn't tell you to quit being dramatic when you were scared shitless in that storm last night." I returned his glare and sighed. "I see your point." It was twenty minutes later when the doorbell rang, and my uncle walked inside, with his bag that held all of his doctor things in it. "Hey Alice. So, where's Shun?" I pointed over to the table, and saw he had slid down into the seat.

I told him, "Shun, we can still see you." He groaned and sat up straight. My uncle, who wasn't related to me by blood, walked over to Shun, and placed his bag on the table in front of him. He asked Shun to let him see his hand, and Shun complied without any resistance. Uncle Fredrick examined Shun's hand, then pulled out an alcohol wipe, and slapped it on the open cut. Shun yelped out as the disinfectant hit the wound.

He then pulled out another wipe, and cleaned off a spot on his arm. Shun stared at the wipe, and said, "Uh, Wh-what are you doing?" My uncle smiled and said, "Cleaning off a spot for the tetanus shot." Shun's eyes widened, and I thought for a split-second, he was going to dart for the door. But he stayed put in his seat.

It was when my uncle pulled out the syringe, and filled it with the medicine, that Shun officially freaked out. The needle was stuck in his arm, not giving him enough time to react, and then, the needle was pulled out. Shun stared at the injection site, then passed out. I ran over to him, and he was already coming to. He sat up on the tiled kitchen floor, and shook his head. "I-I'm ok. Just got a little woozy." My uncle and I helped him into the living room, and let him lie down on the couch.

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><p>o.o i dont like needles either. i was freaking out just writing this. o.O lol. as usual, no upload tomorrow cause the game is away, and will be a pain. -.-'' i can already tell we're gunna loose...im not big into school spirit. lol. well, read, review, and other fun things! ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	36. Perfect Little Imperfections

_Shun_

My head was still spinning from when I passed out while getting that shot. When I was finally focused enough, I realized I was on the couch, and Alice and her uncle were in the kitchen talking. I just laughed back, resting my head on the arm rest, and took a deep breath. The couch didn't really have a smell, or maybe I had stayed in the house for so long, that I didn't notice it anymore. A spring was digging into my back, so I moved over just enough that it wasn't bothering me anymore.

I stared up at the ceiling, and watched a moth that had snuck into the house fly around, trying to find its way out. Laughter then filled the room, and Alice and her uncle walked into the living room. "Oh, hey Shun. Glad to see your looking better." The two of them looked at each other and then grinned. I narrowed my eyes at both of them, and they stopped. Uncle Fredrick scratched the back of his neck nervously, and said, "Well, I guess I should get going. I'll be back in a few days to check up on you, Shun. You two have a good night."

We told him good-bye, and he left the house, closing the door this time. Alice walked over to the couch, and I moved my legs so she could sit down. "How ya feeling? You kind of gave us a scare for a minute when you passed out after you got that shot. I mean, I knew you didn't like needles, but I thought for a second that you might have had an allergic reaction." I shook my head, because I was too tired to speak.

She got up and said, "Well, I'm going to go get something to snack on. You want anything while I'm in there?" I shook my head again, and reached for my iPod that I had left on the table the other day, and turned to my play list. I stuck my earbuds in, and turned on my shuffle. Alice walked back in the room, holding a plate with what seemed to be a sandwich. I turned the volume down a little, just in case she said something to me. Alice just sat there and ate her sandwich, and I listened to my music. Without knowing it, my fingers were playing guitar chords with the song, and I thought about the old guitar upstairs in Dr. Michaels' room.

_It'd be awesome to play that thing. But I don't think Alice would take too kindly to me doing that._ The two of us were fairly quiet while we sat there on the couch. _Maybe she doesn't want to disturb me while I have my iPod on. If that's the case, then that means I'd be being rude._ I paused the song and turned the music player off, then took the earbuds out. Alice was finishing the last few bites of her snack when I did that. A tired yawn then escaped me, and my body felt as if weights had been thrown on it. Alice looked at me and said, "Tired?"

I nodded my head, unable to speak cause I was yawning again. She got up, and walked over to the closet that was in the corner of the living room that had anything from Christmas decorations to probably a skeleton. She then pulled out a sort of blue-green fleece throw, and walked back over to the couch. I watched as she unfolded the blanket, then she sat down and draped it over both of our laps. I didn't say anything as she leaned into my side, and used my shoulder as place to rest her head. The blanket's warmth was making me sleepier than I already was.

I caught myself drifting off to sleep several times, and every time I forced myself to wake back up. Alice didn't open her eyes, but said, "Why don't you just go to sleep already? Quit fighting it." _She's right. No use in fighting the inevitable._ I nudged her with my arm, and she looked up at me, part of her hair messed up from laying on me. I smiled, and put the hair back in place, then connected my lips with hers. The feeling of electricity was almost enough to jolt me awake, and I could tell it was the same for her.

The high was short lived as we continued our make-out session on the couch, because my eyes were growing heavy again. I laid my head down, and Alice was carefully laying next to my on the small couch. I felt her tap my shoulder and looked at her. "What? You so tired that you don't wanna have any fun? That doesn't sound like the Shun Kazami I know." I smiled at her, still to exhausted to speak. I only laid back down, and Alice sighed and gave up, and got off the couch.

I opened one eye and looked at her. "Well, if you're gunna be that way, then I'm going up to bed." She headed up the stairs and into my room, which by now I guess you could call our room. I sighed. _I guess it isn't right that when she's tired and wants I break I don't give her one, but when I'm tired and want a break, she doesn't want one. It's only fair that I suffer like she does every now and then._

I forced my tired body off the couch and up the stairs. I went to open the door, but Alice had apparently locked it. _Don't tell me she's pissed off cause I didn't want to do anything tonight._ I gave up on getting in the room, and went into her room, which she hadn't been in for a while. I climbed into her unused bed, and covered myself up with the purple blanket. _I'll set things straight with her tomorrow after I get some sleep._

_Alice_

I didn't fall asleep that night. My mind was racing with different thoughts. _Was Shun mad at me for some reason? Is that why he didn't want to do anything? Maybe it was something I had said? But what did I say that could of made him mad? What if….._ My mind was just overflowing with questions like that. I had locked the door that night in case he came in while I did my thinking.

I did hear the knob turn a few times though, and knew it was him. The bed seemed a lot larger when one person was in it, not like when both of us were practically on top of each other trying to just keep from falling off. My mind wasn't the only thing doing cartwheels, all the nerves I had accumulated in my thoughts had stirred up my stomach, and was making it hurt.

I was told when I was little, it helped if you laid on you left side, so I tried it, and it helped a little bit. On my left side, I was facing the drawers that had Shun's, and some of mine, clothes inside of it. I was also facing the TV and bathroom. My mind went back to the two or three weeks that Shun and I had been in the house by ourselves, and how that first night was the best I had ever had with him.

_I wish I could just relive that night._ I closed my eyes, going through a time portal thing in my mind, and was thinking about that night. My restless body couldn't stand laying in that bed alone anymore, so I unlocked the door and left the empty room. Shun wasn't lying on the couch anymore, only the fleece blanket we were cuddled under. I checked the kitchen, and the den.

_He's nowhere down stairs….._ I went back upstairs and checked the rooms up there. Shun wasn't in my grandfather's old room, or one of the extra guest rooms. _That only leaves my old room._ I opened the door in there, and saw a lump covered up and in my bed. _There you are._ I walked over to the bed quietly, and looked down at the sleeping ninja. Several locks of his raven colored hair was draped over his face, so I moved it gently back to where it belonged.

I now saw his face clearly, and it looked as if he may have been crying. _Why would he be crying? Did I make him think I was mad at __**him**__?_ I left the room and went into the kitchen, and fixed a glass of ice, and filled it halfway up with water. _He'll probably be thirsty when he wakes up, and by then some of this ice should be melted enough to fill up the glass the rest of the way._ I returned back to my old room, and put the glass on my nightstand. I took in one last look at Shun, and whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you. Night."

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><p>sorry for the late upload. busy busy busy. well, im super tired. can barely keep my eyes open. so, that's it. Read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	37. Our Disease

_Shun_

The heater had cut off, and the room began to grow cool again. My warm body didn't want to leave the blankets, but I desperately needed something to drink. I sat up and was just about to get out from under my covers, when I saw a glass of water placed on the nightstand. All around the glass, was water from where the glass had sweat, and only two little pieces of ice were floating in the water.

_Alice must of brought this up to me last night._ Bringing up Alice's name had stuck me with a pang of guilt in my stomach from last night. I reached for the glass and drank the cool water. I had that surge that you sometimes get when your tired and drink something cool, and then your somewhat awake. There was maybe an inch of water left, but I didn't drink it. As I was lying in the bed, I examined Alice's room.

I had only taken glances at it before, so I was noticing a lot of things. He walls were painted sort of a lavender color, and there was a rug on the floor that was a darker shade of purple than the walls. There were pictures of Runo and Julie hung up on the walls, and a few others with the rest of the brawlers. And of course, she had some lilies on her dresser, which were beginning to wilt from the lack of care. My concentration on the room was broken by the sound of shattering glass.

I jumped out of the bed and ran downstairs to the source of the sound. _What if somebody broke into the house?_ I then stopped in the kitchen, and saw Alice bent over, picking up a shattered ceramic plate off the floor. She had her hair pulled back in a pony tail, and she was wearing an apron that she only wore when she was cleaning. Alice looked up at me, and held some small pieces of plate in her hands.

I went and knelt down beside her, and helped pick up the pieces. "Here, let me help you." She thanked me, and we double checked that we had gotten up all the pieces of the plate. Once we were sure the floor was clean, we both stood up, and dusted ourselves off. Both of us then looked at each other, and we said at the same time, "I'm sorry." We both blinked a few times and just stared at each other. _She's sorry? Why? I'm the one who was the jerk last night._ I asked her, "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything last night. I'm the one who should be apologizing." She untied her apron and set in on the countertop. "I thought I might of said or done something last night that made you angry at me."

I shook my head and walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders and made her look at me in the face. "Why would you think I was mad at you?" She broke her gaze and stared down at the floor that was between our feet. "Well, you didn't really talk or say anything last night, so I assumed you were pissed off at me."

I lifted her head up with my hand, and brought her gaze back up to me. "I was just tired. Yeah, I didn't really want to talk or anything, but I thought you knew, so I didn't say anything about it." I could tell she felt foolish, and I did as well. _It was one huge misunderstanding. That could of gotten a lot worse._ We both sighed in unison, and closed our eyes as if the world would disappear with all of our troubles.

_Alice_

I couldn't tell if Shun and I had made up or not, cause we had just clarified that it we both jumped to conclusions without all the facts. I was fumbling with my thumbs, and Shun stopped me. "It's ok. Don't worry. This whole thing is behind us, right?" I smiled and said, "Yeah. All behind us."

His face lit up with a smile of his own, and he kissed my forehead. "That's great." I craved him to hold me, but there was still an awkward presence between us, so we stayed at a distance. We both just stood there, half looking at each other, and half looking away. Shun finally broke the silence and said, "Do you, uh, want to go sit down?" I nodded, and gladly accepted the chance to sit down and get in another room. I sat on the couch, and Shun on the loveseat that was next to the couch. It was way too quiet in the room. Usually our laughter filled the whole house, but now all you could hear was the echo from the air conditioner cutting on.

I patted my hands on my knees to a rhythm that just came into my mind. I don't know if I was nervous, or if I just wanted to break the silence. Shun stood up, but sat back down almost like he had a weight strapped to him. I asked him, "What were you doing?" He leaned back into the couch and said, "I thought about getting something to drink, but changed my mind." The silence quickly returned, and we were right back to the awkwardness.

Shun was looking at something across from him on the other side of the room, and I was just looking at my feet. Light then filtered in from a window, and hit Shun right in the eyes. He squinted, then covered his face with his hand. The light only came through that window at about five or six in the afternoon. So that meant, we were just sitting and standing around all day without saying anything. _What are we going to do when we go to bed? Are we even going to sleep together tonight? Or is it still too awkward right now?_

It was truly odd for me waking up without Shun earlier that morning, and I didn't think I could bare another night without him next to me. _But it's up to him if he wants to sleep next to me._ Shun moved to a chair on the other side of the room to escape the sunlight. _He still doesn't want to sit near me. I wouldn't blame him. It's still pretty awkward right now._ All the space between us made me feel like one of us had a disease, and the other was too scared to get near the other, even though we wanted to. There wasn't any telling what would happen if one infected the other.

Could be crying, kissing, anger, or passion. It could be anything, and all it took was one to cross over to quarantine line. I was too afraid of what Shun's reaction would be, so I stayed seated, even though every fiber of my being wanted me to run over there and be in his arms. Shun was now staring down at his feet, so he never knew I was looking at him. _Or maybe he does._ I finally said something, but it was very quiet and soft. "Shun, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand the silence. I thought all of this was behind us."

_I didn't mean for it to sound like a break-up, but I had to get it out and that was the best way to do it._ He looked up at me, his eyes full of worry. "I know. I can't stand it either." There it was again, the plague known as silence. I got up, and walked towards a window, and just stared outside. I needed to get away from the silence, even if it was pretending to hear a breeze, or birds singing. I saw Shun's reflection behind mine in the window.

His arms wrapped around waist, and he laid his head on my left should. He then said into my ear, "I'm sorry. I'll be back in a few days." I froze and turned around as he walked towards the door. "What do you mean a few days? Shun, where are you going?" He opened the door, but didn't exit the house right away. He sighed and said, "Maybe all we need is just a break from each other for a day or so. To let all this die down.

I promise I'll be back, but if you want to know where I'm at if something comes up, I'm staying at hotel about three miles from the grocery store. I'll see you soon, Alice. I still love you, I just think this is right and will help with the problem." He left out of the house and closed the door. I caught it before it clicked shut and stood in the doorway. His car was already gone, and I sat on the concrete steps. I didn't feel sad, nor angry, just a little shocked. _Shun, I hope you're right about doing this._

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><p>sorry for late upload, i had to do homework, then the printer skrewed up and my dad deleted my homework. so i had to redo it. then the keyboard froze up. then the printer started reprinting. so yeah, i was pissed. -.- lol. but it's uploaded now. for any that hadnt seen it, i made a fanfic about where all the brawlers were on 911 when it happened. it's short, but it had meaning to it. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~


	38. Disconnect and Skrew Ups

_Shun_

The hotel I was staying at was about two or three miles from where Alice worked, just close enough that if something came up I could get to her quickly if she was at work. I tossed my bag on the bed, and sat down next to it. I didn't want to leave Alice, but I decided that it would be best to let a slowly burning fire die down, instead of constantly feeding the flames and get burned. The room had the god ugly carpeting and the nice furniture. It was a completely clashed together look, but it worked. Although, if it was in somebody's house, they would be asked if they had a mental illness for picking that kind of carpet.

I got up and walked over to the window, and opened up the curtains. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon, and it painted the sky with reds, oranges, and pinks. My phone then rang, and I immediately thought it was Alice. Well, actually I wished it was Alice. I picked up my cell phone, and saw an unknown number. I answered, and a lady on the other line said she had dialed the wrong number. I sighed and sat the phone back down on the dresser next to the 18' flat screen TV that was in all the rooms.

A knock on the door rang out through the room, and a lady's voice bled through the door. "House keeping." _I just got here._ I walked to the door, and stuck my head out the door. The lady was short and old, and she appeared to maybe be Hispanic. "No thank you. I just arrived in my room." She nodded her head and moved on to the next room. After I closed my door back, I began to grow tired of the silence and flipped on the TV. The first thing on was some commercial trying to sell another useless household item that will never get used again. I pressed the button and it then went to some soap opera showing a happy couple kissing. In fact, all of the channels had something like that on it.

It was like the cosmic universe was slapping me in the face with a handful of guilt. I turned off the TV, and waited for the knot to unwind in my stomach. My mind began regretting my decision to leave Alice. I sighed and laid down on the bed, and folding my arms behind my head. I stared up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. _Maybe I should call her…..No…It wouldn't be a break if I called her after three hours apart…_

I rolled on my side, and was facing the window now. The light from the lamp reflected in the window, and I saw my own reflection. It wasn't the same person I had seen in the lake a few days ago. This person looked tired, and lost again. My eyes had dark circles under them from all the hell that had been going on recently. I closed my eyes then, and thought about what Alice was doing right now. _She's probably crying cause I abruptly left, or she could be laying down and thinking like I am. Yeah, that one sounds more like Alice._

_Alice_

It was morning now, and Shun would still be at some hotel for another day or so. You'd think I'd be completely lost, but I was surprisingly handling this very well. Yeah, I missed Shun like crazy, but I wasn't all emotional like I thought I would be. I had cried a little after he left, but my eyes had been dry since I went to sleep last night. I was still in my bed, but didn't feel to well for some reason. _Maybe I'm coming down with a bug. I should probably go to the clinic just in case._

I climbed out of my bed and changed from my pj's and into a light purple shirt and pair of blue jeans. I grabbed a few other things and walked out to my car. When I stuck the key in the ignition, the car only sputtered. I tried a few more times, and the car wouldn't start. _That's just great._ The only other thing I could come up with was my Uncle Fredrick, who was also a doctor, and one of the few left that still makes house calls. I sat in the car and called him up. The phone rang a few times and he picked up. "Hello?"

I got out of the car and walked around outside while talking. "Hey Uncle Fredrick. It's Alice. Listen, could you do me a favor and drive me to the clinic in town? My car's not working, and me and Shun have kind of hit a rough patch and aren't really talking right now." I heard him say something to somebody in the background.

"Alice, you know I wouldn't mind taking you to the clinic, but sadly I'm on the other side of town taking care of a patient. Could you and Shun put your differences aside for a few hours so he can take you?" I slightly grimaced at the thought, then sighed. "Ok. I'll give it a shot." There was a cough and laugh that sounded through my phone. "Ok, Alice. But if he can't take you, you'll just have to wait till tomorrow. Then I'll take you up there. Bye, love you." I told him I loved him too, and closed my phone. _Now just to call Shun._

_Shun_

I had gone downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel to get something to eat. The only thing I had taken with me was my wallet and cell phone, and I was somewhat glad I brought that. Cause when I had just finished eating, my phone rang, and I saw Alice's number on caller ID. _Don't sound too excited._ I pushed the accept button and put the phone to my ear. "Hey, Alice. Watcha need?" There was an airy sound on the other side, telling me she was outside. "Hey, Shun. I hate to call during our "vacation" but I'm not feeling well, and my car's broke down and my uncle can't take me to the clinic."

The waitress walked up to my table and I paid her, then walked out to my car. "Ok. I'll be at the house in a few minutes." She thanked me and hung up. I cranked up my car, and began driving towards the house. _I hope she's not too sick. I'd really feel bad if she wasn't feeling well yesterday and I just left her._ I pulled in the driveway, and she immediately got in the car. She looked like she didn't feel too well.

We were just about to pull into the clinic when I asked, "So, when'd you start feeling sick?" Alice was staring out the window and said, "This morning. It's probably just a bug. Nothing to worry over. I just want to be safe than sorry though." I agreed with her and pulled into the parking lot. "Do you want me to go in with you? Or do you want me to come on back by when they're done and pick you up?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Up to you. I don't really care." _Yeah. She's still pissed at me. This whole idea has seemed to blow up in my face._ "Well, I think I'm going to just walk around for a little while. You can call me when you're done and I'll head back to the car and drive you home. Kay?" She didn't looked at me and said, "Fine by me," and got out of the car and walked into the clinic.

_Shun_

I had no knowledge of what they were asking Alice, or what tests they may of may not of been running. All I knew was Alice was in there, and she was still pissed at me. I rounded a corner and was faced with the corner where that little coffee shop was, and remembered when those drunks had attacked us. I saw where I was laying on the ground, and Alice was leaning against the wall and they kept kicking me while I was down. I heard a ding and saw a tall, skinny brunette walk out of a store near the coffee shop. She was fumbling through her purse when she dropped what looked like a wallet, but she didn't notice.

I called out to her, "Miss! You dropped something!" But she didn't hear me. I ran and scooped up the wallet, and eventually caught up with her. I was right behind her and said, "Miss. You dropped this." She turned around and stared at her wallet in my hand. A blush ran across her face. "Oh my. Thank you so much. I'm always dropping something." She took the wallet and put it back into her purse, double checking to make sure nothing else fell out. The brunette looked at me with eyes as brown as Alice's and said, "Do you mind if I asked for your name so I could properly thank you for returning my wallet?" I blinked a few times, realizing that she wanted my name.

"Oh, sure. Shun Kazami. And yours is?" She smiled and said, "Omaki Tunaka. It's nice to meet you. Hey, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't buy you a coffee." I waved my hand and said, "Oh, you don't have to do that." But she insisted and dragged me into the coffee shop that was next to us. I was sitting at a booth, and she walked over with two cups. "Here ya go. Green tea for you, and hazelnut coffee for me."

She sat down across from me and stirred in some sugar to her drink. "I just want to thank you again for finding my wallet. It had my plane tickets back to Bay City and if I lost those I wouldn't be able to get back home." The name of the city caught my attention. "You live in Bay City?" She nodded her head and asked, "Yeah. Why?" I smiled and told her, "I used to live there a little while back. I don't think I've ever seen you around before." She took another sip of her coffee and said, "I moved there about a year ago. And I've been home schooled since I moved there. So, I haven't been around there for very long. Why are you so far from home?"

_Home….._ I saw my tea was getting cold, and I didn't want to offend her, so I took a sip of it. I will admit, it wasn't that bad. I said, "Well, my friends and I came her on vacation. Then my ex-girlfriend told me she had been cheating on me, so I ran off…." I spent about an hour telling her why I was here right now. Both of us had finished our drinks at that point. "Wow. That's so romantic that you gave up your life in Bay City to be here with the girl you love. But it's sad that you two are fighting right now. You know, I'd love to meet her. She sounds like a nice person."

We got up and threw our cups away and walked outside the coffee shop. "I'm sure you two would get along." I thought about my phone and checked it. I had six missed calls from Alice. _Dammit. I forgot I put my phone on silent when I was in the coffee shop!_ "I'm sorry. I have to call her. She's tried to get a hold of me six times. She's gunna be pissed." Omaki said nothing and I hit the call back button. Alice picked up, and she screamed into the phone, "Where the hell are you! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to pick up the phone! And you have the keys so I couldn't drive home!"

I couldn't get a word in, and Omaki was staring at me. She looked as if she was guilty that Alice was chewing my ass off cause I didn't answer the phone. Once she took a breath, I took that chance and said, "Alice. I'm sorry. I had put my phone on silent and I lost track of the time. I'll be there in a minute."

She cut me off and said, "No, I've already called a taxi to take me home. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Good-bye Shun." My shoulders sagged and I stared at my phone and sighed. Omaki walked over to me and said, "I'm sorry. It's my fault she's angry." I stopped her from talking and said, "No. It's not. It's mine. You're not to blame. I should get going." She nodded her head and said, "Ok. It was great meeting you." I told her the same thing and went back towards my car._ You've really skrewed up this time..._

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><p>long chapter. i think im rounding up to the end of the story. X3 then the squeal will go into play. XP lol. i was struggling to get out the story, then i made Shun meet my OC Omaki, and then i noticed i had writen like three more pages. o.o lol. well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	39. The Pain of Love

_Shun_

I was desperately trying to get a hold of Alice, but all the phone calls went straight to her voice mail. I had been sitting in my car, that was still parked in front of the clinic, just trying to get her to pick up her phone. I was about to attempt to call her again, when a tap at the window stopped me. I turned and saw Omaki standing outside. Putting my phone in the cup holder, I stepped out of the car to talk to her. "Hey, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but you left your jacket at the coffee shop."

_I must've been in such a rush that I left it there and never noticed._ I took my light green jacket from her and threw it in my car. "Thanks. I hadn't even noticed I left it." I looked back at my phone, and saw Alice hadn't called me back. "Is she still angry at you?" Omaki was looking at my phone as well when she said that. "Yeah….Can you blame her?" She shrugged and said, "You didn't mean to forget her. And you didn't know she was calling cause you put your phone on silent so you wouldn't disturb anyone in the coffee shop." I stared down at the asphalt of the parking lot and said, "Still…..I skrewed up…..And now I'm paying for it…."

We both stood there when I realized she was wearing a pair of painful looking heels. "Do you wanna sit down?" She nodded, and we climbed into the car. She was in the passenger seat, and I was in the driver's seat of course. "This is a nice car." I thanked her for the compliment and told her, "It was Alice's grandfather's car. Before he passed away recently." Omaki was thumbing through my stack of CD's and picked up one and read the songs on the back of the cover, then put it back in it's place.

"So, where are you staying? Cause I doubt you're going back to your house where Alice is." _She's right there. Even if I did go back to the house, the odds of Alice letting me into the house is pretty slim._ "I'm staying at a hotel not far from here. I think it's called something like the Moscow Suites or something like that." The brunette perked up and said, "That's the hotel that I'm staying at. What floor are you on?"

I blinked my eyes a few times and told her, "Floor three if I remember right." She clapped her hands together and said, "I'm on the third floor too!" _Wow….Coincidence much?_ "Well, since we're staying at the same hotel, how bout I give you a ride back?" She accepted my offer because she apparently had walked all day, and her feet were killing her from her heels. I cranked up the car and left the clinic.

_Alice_

The constant phone calls had stopped after an hour of me being home from the clinic. I was happy for the silence, but a little angry that Shun had stopped calling me to apologize. I flipped through the missed calls, and saw he had tried to reach me fifteen times. _Maybe I was too harsh on him. _

I plugged my charger into my phone and then sat on my bed, and remembered the meds the doctor prescribed me for my stomach bug that had been going around recently. After I took the small pill in my bathroom, I returned to where I was sitting on my bed. I was starting to simmer down more, and wished Shun were here with me.

I sighed and turned on my TV, hoping to get my mind off of some things. There was some game show on right now, and the contestant had to get the questions correct to win the million dollars. I wasn't really paying attention, and was only thinking about what Shun was doing right now.

_Shun_

I had just pulled into the parking lot to the hotel, and turned the car off. Omaki and I exited out of the car at the same time. She closed her door, and I closed mine. The hotel lobby wasn't as full as it was this morning. I pushed the up button on the elevator, and it soon made it's noise saying it was there, and we both entered the elevator.

Omaki pushed the third floor button, when she suddenly said, "Oh no! I lost my room key!" I looked at her and said, "Can you go down to the lobby and get a new one?" She shook her head and told me, "No. The lobby is closed. There isn't anyone working down there right now. What am I gunna do?"

I thought for a minute and sighed. "How about you stay in my room, and you can get a new key tomorrow." She looked at me like I was crazy and then said, "Are you sure? I'd hate to impose." I stopped at my door and put my key card in. "It's no problem. I'll take the couch and you can have then bed."

We both walked in the room and I closed the door behind me. "Thank you for letting me bunk with you tonight." I told her it wasn't a problem, and she sat at the foot of the bed and I sat on the couch. Omaki stretched and said, "I think I'm gunna turn in now. Night." I laid back on the couch and told her, "Yeah. Night."

_Alice_

When I woke up, I checked my phone for any more missed calls, but there weren't any. _Shun hasn't called anymore since last night…..Wait, he left the address of his hotel on the fridge. _I walked into the kitchen and looked at the scrap paper and dialed the number of the hotel. "Hello?…Yes, I was wondering what room number Shun Kazami is in…Ok, thank you….." _That was easy._ I grabbed my purse and headed out for the car.

_I'll go and try and patch everything up with Shun._ I eventually found the hotel. It was a pretty nice looking hotel, and I entered the main lobby, which was just as nice. I walked into the elevator, and got on the floor that had Shun's room on it. _Ok, his room should be right….Here._ I knocked on the door, and it opened, and Shun was standing there. He looked like he had been sleeping on a rock, and like he had just woken up.

He blinked a few times and focused his eyes on me. "Alice? What are you doing here?" I was about to say something, but saw somebody else in the room. "Shun, do you have somebody else in there with you?" He glanced back there, and a brunette girl walked into the open.

She stood there, and stared at me. I glared at Shun. "What the hell is going on in here?" Shun quickly said, "Alice, she's a friend that I know and she lost her room key and needed a place to stay till she could get a new one. Nothing happened last night between us." The brunette ran up behind Shun, and bowed to me. "I'm sorry. I don't want to cause any problems. What Shun's saying is the truth. I always lose stuff and I lost my room key and wasn't able to get a replacement till this morning."

I raised an eyebrow at the two of them and sighed. "Shun, I believe you. I came here to try and patch things up. If that's ok." I went inside the room, and Omaki said quickly, "I think I'll go get my new key. Bye." The brunette darted out of the room, like she was afraid I'd hit her or something.

Shun sat down on the couch and sighed. I saw where he had made a bed on the couch, instead of sleeping in the bed. "Let me guess. The girl was in the bed and you were on the couch?" He nodded and sighed. "Alice, I'm sorry about not answering any of those calls yesterday, and I'm sorry I forgot to take you back home." I went and wrapped my arms around Shun's body and said to him, "I missed you so much." He blinked his eyes a few times and then smiled. "I missed you too."

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><p>-.- beh. suffering from writer's block. -.-'' so it wasnt easy for me to get this one out. -.-'' there won't be an upload thursday, but WILL be one friday. for there isnt a game that day. : well, read, review, and stuff. ~Copperpelt~


	40. The High Of Passion

_Shun_

Alice and I were sitting on the couch holding each other, when the door opened and Omaki stepped inside. She froze when she saw us, then set the room key I let her borrow on the table very slowly. "Oops. Sorry if I'm interrupting. I was just returning the key cause I got a new one. I'll leave you two alone." Omaki quickly left the room, and Alice giggled. "That's the first time I've heard you do that in a while." She smiled at me and said, "It sure is." I then remembered that she had been to a doctor recently, and never asked what she was diagnosed with.

"So, what did the doctor say you had?" She acted as if she forgot as well, and said, "Just a bug. They gave me some meds for it and said I should be better in no time." I raised an eyebrow at her and smiled. "Well, as long as I don't get sick, I'm happy." Alice hit me in the stomach and I leaned forward, trying to catch my breath.

"Not so fun to have stomach pains. Is it?" She had her evil smile on, and I shook my head while looking up at her. Once it felt like my stomach had returned to normal shape, I said, "I guess I should check out of the hotel now before they come up here and throw me out." Alice shrugged her shoulders as I put my things back into my bag. I glanced at the wall clock, which had a reminder of check out time, and smiled.

_With thirty minutes to spare._ A set of hands came up behind me and wrapped around my neck, I then felt Alice's lips touch the back of my neck, sending a chill through my body. "Oops. I forgot you don't really like that." I rubbed the back of my neck, and felt myself blushing. "It's not that I don't like it. It just feels weird sometimes." She I heard her giggle behind me, and I used my peripheral vision to see where she was at. Alice was standing in front of this big, decorative mirror on the wall, and was fixing her hair. _This'll be fun._

I used the ninja skills I knew, and quietly snuck behind her without drawing attention to myself. I was just about to attack her, when she said, "Shun. Don't even think about it." I stopped in my tracks and stared at her, trying to figure out how she knew I was going to scare her. "Shun, I've been living with you for how long? I'm pretty much used to you using your ninja skills to try and scare me."

I narrowed my eyes at her, and all she did was finish making an adjustment to her hair. "Don't you think you should check out now? I mean, you have only like ten minutes." I turned my attention to the clock and saw she was right. I grabbed my bag, and double checked for all my belongings, then Alice and I left out of the room to return home. Together.

_Shun_

We were in the hotel's lobby, filling out the check out information, when Omaki came walking up to us. "Hey guys!" Alice and I waved at her as she skipped up to us. "I see you two made up. That's great!" Alice was talking to the brunette, and I really wasn't paying attention as I was filling out the last of the paperwork. _This is ridiculous that I have to fill out all this crap. Why can't it just be as simple as saying, "Ok, I'm leaving. Bye." I guess if it was that simple then they couldn't piss people off._

The lady behind the desk handed me the hotel's business card, and told me to come back soon. _Yeah right._ I walked over to where the girls were sitting and said, "Ok. After a seemingly endless amount of paperwork, I am officially checked out of the hotel." They both clapped, and I did a bow like I had just done an amazing scene during a play. Alice laughed and said, "Shun, did you know Omaki's here for that People to People Ambassador Program? You know, the one where they go to a different country to study?" I blinked a few times and said, "Really? That's pretty cool. You didn't tell me that." Omaki shrugged and said, "I suppose it didn't seem relevant at the time."

Alice then snapped her fingers, and her face lit up like she had just had an idea. _This could end badly….._ "Omaki, how about you come with me and Shun back to our house?" I had two sets of big, brown eyes looking at me, begging for an answer. "Sure. What's the harm in having some company?"

They both smiled and started talking again. _I was really hoping to have some time alone with Alice. But I'd hate to be rude. Besides, those two seem to becoming good friends already._ We all got into the car, and I began driving back to the house. I knew I'd have to probably drive Omaki back to that hotel, but I didn't really mind too much. When we finally arrived at the house, Omaki stepped inside and seemed in awe. "Wow. This place is amazing and beautiful."

I didn't blame her for freaking out when she saw the house, because I remembered when me and the other brawlers first saw this place. All of us were kind of taken back, even though it wasn't as big as Murucho's place, it was still a pretty big house. _I guess I've been her for so long now, that it doesn't seem as big as it used to._ Alice offered our guest a tour of the house, and Omaki gladly accepted. The two girls ran off somewhere in the house, and basically just left me in the living room. _What am I? Chopped liver?…I shouldn't ask Alice that…..She'd probably say yes…._

I ignored my abandonment, and went into the kitchen to get something to eat. _I haven't really had much to eat today._ There wasn't much on the shelves of the fridge, so I checked the drawers and saw some lettuce and tomatoes. _Guess I'll have to settle for salad….._ I made me up a small bowl, and found some homemade dressing, and sat at the table.

Alice then walked in the kitchen, doing her best tour guide impression, and Omaki was right behind her. "And our last stop is the kitchen. Which right now has somebody eating the lettuce that was meant for the wild rabbits that live in the woods behind the house." I looked down at my bowl, and said, "I don't think it's gunna kill the rabbits if they don't get some of my salad." The two of them laughed and sat down at the table with me. Alice was next to me, and Omaki was across from me. _Why on earth did I agree for her to come here?….Oh yeah, I'm a good person…Dammit…._

They were laughing again, and I was getting ready to jump out of the nearest window I could find, and run as far as my legs could take me. There was a honk in the driveway, and Omaki stood up and said, "Well, that's my taxi. I better get going." I quickly told her, "I wouldn't of minded driving you back to the hotel."

The brunette checked her purse for everything she brought with her, and said, "It's ok. Bye. It was nice meeting you Alice. I hope to see you guys around." She waved at us as she left the house and got into the taxi. Once the cab was all the way out of the driveway, I closed the door and sighed. _Now I finally have the house alone with just me and Alice._ _Speaking of which, where the hell is she?_ The orange haired girl that was in the kitchen one minute, was now gone. I rolled my eyes. _Looks like I have to hunt her down._

She wasn't anywhere on the downstairs part of the house, so I went to the upper portion, and saw the hallway bathroom light on under the door. I knocked a few times. "Alice, you in there?" I heard the sink running, then Alice say, "No shit Sherlock. Who else would it be?" I rolled my eyes at her smart comment and said, "I was just checking. No need to get snippy." There was a sound of something hitting the floor, and I heard Alice swear under her breath. I leaned near the door and said, "You ok?"

Her shadow was moving under the door as she said, "Yeah. I was just getting changing into my night clothes and my hand knocked over the empty toothbrush holder. I tried to tell my grandfather it was only taking up space." I chuckled and told her, "Well, if you need me, I'm gunna be in my room." She knocked something else over and said, "Shun. Hold up." I turned around and saw her poke her head out of the door. I blinked several times before saying, "Uh, yeah. What is it?" She almost fell forward, but caught herself.

"I was wondering, since you hate us trying to sleep in that small bed, maybe we could sleep in the other guest room that's downstairs. We'd have to put the mattress on the frame though." _I don't think I've ever noticed the guest room downstairs. Oh well. _"Sure. Anything to be able to have enough room to turn on my side. I'll go ahead and put the mattress on the frame while you finish getting changed."

Alice closed the door to the bathroom and I went downstairs and into the guest room. There was an oak bed frame in the room, and the mattress was leaned against the wall next to it. I dragged it over to the frame, and laid it down on the coils. After making sure it was straight, I went to get sheets and a blanket. The room now looked like somebody had been in there recently, instead of disassembled and spread out.

_Now neither me, nor Alice, will have to fight over who gets more room._ I sat on the bed, and realized the mattress was made with down feathers, and was super soft. _It's gunna take up some time to get all of our stuff in here, but at least now we have our own room._ I turned the ceiling light off, and switched it with the lamp that was on the nightstand.

I investigated the drawers in the nightstand, and only found a really old phonebook, and a notepad. "You did a pretty good job getting everything straight in here." I looked up and saw Alice's silhouette in the door, and she then walked into the light of the lamp. She was wearing a light purple nightgown that was a little above her knees, and that also had a little bit of lace around the bottom.

"Wow." _You idiot. That's all you can get to come out of your mouth?_ She giggled and asked, "You like it? I had found it in my closet the other day." She sat down next to me, which at that point, I was kind of regretting laying down.

"It looks great on you." She blushed. _Again, you're an idiot, Shun. You can't say something better? Then again, my brain is scrambled right now._ She leaned over and placed her lips on mine.

All the passion from that kiss flooded my mind, and it felt as though I had melted away. She broke the kiss, but was only a few centimeters away from me. I wanted to feel the rush of that kiss again, so I reconnected my lips with hers, and she threw the blanket over us.

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><p>i wants some frickin tacos and i dont know why! . anyone has tacos? lol. yay, it was early release day! woooo! but i gotta stay late tomorrow! booooo! -.-'' lol beh. it's trash day. waaaah. lol. well, remeber, no upload tomorrow, but there will be one friday. read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~<p> 


	41. There's Always More To This

_Shun_

Morning slowly crept up on me and Alice, and we were still laying in bed. She was curled up against my body, and my arms were wrapped around her body. It was odd how the two of us fit together so perfectly. Both of us were in some in between state of awake and sleep. The kind of state that any given sound would wake either one of us up. And of course, there was that sudden sound.

A knock on the door. Alice moved and then groaned. "Shun. Get the door." I propped myself up on an elbow and looked at her, then sighed and got out of the bed. I yawned as my feet shuffled towards the door. I peered out of the little window next to the door and saw Alice's Uncle standing there holding an umbrella. I saw behind him the pouring rain falling from the once clear sky. I unlocked the door, and let him inside from the cold rain. "Thank you, Shun. I hope I didn't disturb you two."

I chuckled and said semi-sarcastically, "No. Of course not. We were just relaxing." He raised an eyebrow at me then turned his attention to a stack of junk mail laying on a table. "Well, I was just dropping by for a visit to see how you two were doing…I see that you two aren't fighting anymore."

I blinked and looked down at what I was wearing. I had on a plain white shirt, and an old pair of jeans. I laughed nervously. "So, where's Alice hiding at?" I jerked my head towards the guest room the two of us had moved into last night, and told him, "She's still sleeping as far as I know." He nodded his head, acknowledging my statement, and walked over to the other side of the room and looked at a picture of Alice and, what I assumed, was a family member.

"Well, as long as everything's going ok, I guess I'll be on my way. I have another patient on the other side of town again, so it'll be a long drive." He thanked me for allowing him in the house, and left after that. _I swear, he pops up at the most inconvenient times._ I walked back to the room where Alice was sleeping, and saw her in the same place. I went and stood by the side of the bed and brushed a piece of her hair out of the way and kissed her. He brown eyes opened up half way and looked at me.

"Who was at the door?" I sat next to her on the bed, rubbing her shoulder with my hand, and told her, "Your Uncle decided to pay us with another unexpected visit." She closed her eyes and said, "Kind of early for him to be checking in, isn't it?" Her face was a light shade of pink, which I found cute. I explained to her, "He said he had another patient on the other side of town, so he dropped by early on his way there."

The room fell silent, and I could hear the sounds of raindrops falling outside. Alice must of heard it as well, cause she propped herself up on her elbows and looked at the window, which you couldn't see outside cause of the curtains being closed. "Is it raining?" I got up and opened the curtains enough for Alice to look through them. "This answer your question?" She shrugged her shoulders and fell back down onto her pillow and pulled the covers to her chin.

"I think I'm just gunna stay in bed all day. I don't really feel like getting up and doing anything." _Hmm. Maybe she isn't feeling well. Or maybe she just wants to be lazy._ I went on the other side of the bed and sat on my side. The bed sunk in under my weight, making Alice move just a little bit. I laid down on my back and folded my arms under my pillow, and stared up at the ceiling. "So, you're just going to be lazy all day?" She gave me an, "Mhmm." I sighed and made a clicking noise with my tongue out of boredom. Alice looked over at me and said, "Could you stop making that noise? I can't hear the rain."

I made the 'zip your lips and throw away the key' motion, and she rolled back over. The quiet was killing me slowly, and I was getting antsy. At this point, the silence was getting to where you'd stop breathing cause I second cause you were afraid you might be too loud. Alice broke the silence. "You know you don't have to stay in here, right?" I looked over at her and said, "I know, but I wanna, even if this silence is driving me nuts." She rolled over and faced me with her big brown eyes and smiled. "I guess you can turn on the TV or something. I was just letting the rain relax me."

I rubbed her cheek with my thumb and told her, "It's ok. As long as I don't get hit if I make a sound and disturb you." She giggled and moved next to me and used my chest to rest her head. I got a whiff of the sweet scent of her shampoo, and smiled. For some reason that scent gave me a high that I loved.

She then placed a delicate hand on my chest next to her head and took in a deep breath, and let out a content sigh. A ringing noise brought us out of our moment, and I realized it was Alice's phone instead of mine. She sat up and glared at the ringing device. I told her go on ahead and she got up and looked at the number.

"Hold on a minute." I let her step out of the room and into the hallway to take her call. I sat there about two minutes before she walked back in the room and sat down on the bed. "Who was it?" Alice picked at one of her fingernails and said, "Huh? Oh. Wrong number." I raised an eyebrow, and knew she wasn't telling me the truth.

"Alice. Tell me who it really was." She looked nervously at me and said, "Remember when you took me to that clinic? Well, after they told me that I had that stomach bug, they wanted to take another test, and they just go the results back." I was starting to think that she may be seriously sick by the way she was talking.

"What did the test say?" She took in a deep breath, and I knew she didn't really want to talk about whatever it was. I went and sat next to her and looked at her. "You can tell me." She stared right at me with her eyes and said, "The test said I'm pregnant."

_Alice_

The color drained from Shun's face, and he looked like he was about to pass out. I steadied him as he swayed back and forth, and he leaned back some to keep from falling forward. He looked at me and said shakily, "How far along?" I told him, "The doctor said the test results said at least two weeks or so.

So, not very far." There was that awkward presence between us. Somebody wanted to say something, but didn't have it in them to spit it out. _This is what I was worried about. _I then felt Shun's hand grab onto mine, and I followed his arm up to his amber eyes. "Don't worry. I'm sticking through this with you till the end." I felt a tear swell up in my eye and he wiped it away. I told him softly, "Thank you, Shun."

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><p>wow, what a way to finish up the first story. sorry for the late upload. i was at a walmart and then i had to eat then there was midget wrestling distracting me. o.o i just wanted to thank everyone for reading this uber long story to the end, and hope you enjoy the sequal just as much. to all those who reviewed and bared with me on my random update times, thank you. you guys are amazing! i look forward to writing the sequal and seeing what you all think about it. well, no it's time to let this story vanish into the depths of . so, read, review, and all the other great things one last time. X3 ~Copperpelt~<p> 


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